When the Avengers Visited Arcadia
by Fabius Maximus
Summary: Tracking down evidence of another portal generator, the Avengers find themselves caught up in a world of trolls and the Trollhunters find themselves facing far greater challenges than they'd expected. Some timeline changes have been made-takes place immediately after the first Avengers movie and during the second half of the first Season of Trollhunters.
1. Chapter 1

SHIELD helicarrier.

"What is it, Nick?" Natasha asked as she and Clint came into the room. Normally she'd be more formal, but well, it was private.

"We may have a problem," Fury said. Next to him, Bruce shook his head, looking worried.

"You mean bigger than the aftermath of an alien invasion?" Clint asked. The monitors behind Fury were still showing the clean up activity, dead Chitauri leviathans being removed from the roads while crews of LEOs were trying to track down all the tech that had been scattered over the city.

"Yes." Fury gestured at one screen, a map of the United States on it. "Loki may have been more active than we knew."

"After the fight," Bruce said. "Tony and I were working on a world-wide system—SPYEYE, to detect any further attempts to open a portal."

"But Thor has the Tesseract," Natasha said.

"But the power _from the _Tesseract might be something someone could duplicate." Banner shrugged. "Tony has some ideas on that, and he's locked himself in his lab."

Natasha glanced at Clint, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. Of all of them, Tony had the least experience in combat, and given his past… instability, Natasha had a good idea what Banner meant.

"SPYEYE started getting hits last week, three weeks after the invasion," Fury said, calling up a close map of a city called Arcadia. "Sporadic, and the signature is…"

"Different from either the Tesseract or the Bifrost, but definitely related." Bruce shook his head. "Just a few at first, but now we're getting these little flashes, like clusters, all through the city, though we can't really localize them."

"But open up enough little holes…" Clint said, leaning forward.

"And you can bring through a big army." Fury called up another image, this one showing children running around, some waving their arms frantically. One Asian girl, fully dressed, was screaming at people to stop looking at her, trying to cover herself with her hands. "And then this happened—an entire school had a simultaneous freakout, involving _bad dreams_, which happened to them when they were awake. It's only by good luck none of them were hurt—" the imagery cut to a security camera showing the road in front of the school, and a kid almost being hit by a truck as he ran from something invisible.

"Loki's staff?" Clint hissed. "He used it on _kids?"_

_"_We don't know," Bruce said. "None of the adult victims behaved so erratically."

"No, we just killed people," Clint said. "And did the best job we could of it."

Natasha winced. Clint _really_ hated Loki.

"But Loki is gone, the staff is waiting for Thor, _and_ we don't know what impact gradually losing its influence would have on children," Fury said. "Just like we don't know what was so important in a little bedroom community to attract Loki."

"And make him subtle," Bruce said. "Remember New York."

Natasha had a sudden, worried feeling. "What if he was deliberately keeping quiet here?"

"That, Agent Romanov, is one of our biggest worries. What if New York was the distraction, and Arcadia the main event? You and Hawkeye will be flying in today—we have a covert field for a quinjet. Rodgers will be joining you in a few days."

"What about Bruce?" Hawkeye asked.

"I'll be refining SPYEYE," Bruce said. "We'll be moving closer, but until we figure out what caused _that_," he pointed at the school and panicked children. "I don't think you want the Big Guy around."

Natasha didn't have the feign her shudder. "Cover?"

"Some teachers decided they wanted to take their sick days. The school's been shorthanded for some time, so you've got a PE gig, Clint and Natasha will be replacing the nurse."

"Great," Clint said. "High school."

Natasha nodded. _Good cover though_, nobody bothered to get to know subs, and between PE and the nurses office, they'd be well suited to cover the school.

"What about Rodgers?" she asked.

"He'll be staying in a hotel, doing the tourist thing. He'll be around, but no need for you to meet except by accident."

_Good. And not many people are likely to recognize him. _There hadn't been a lot of good shots during a small war in NYC, after all. And for people new to town, bumping into each other would be easy, though they could also use their coms.

"Not the best cover," she said. "But it should work, especially if you want us to trigger a re—"

A sudden beeping sound interrupted her, as the image of Arcadia started blinking.

"What is it?"

"More signals. They've been getting more common." Banner frowned. "I don't like this, guys."

"Which means we're running out of time," Fury said. "Barton, Romanov, you have your orders."

* * *

The tennis ball flew through a portal, only to fly out of another one in time to nearly bean Jim in the head before he got his shield up.

"Almost got you, Jim," Claire said.

"And you're not even breathing hard," Toby said. "You've been making portals for almost an hour!"

"Not big ones," Claire pointed out.

"But far bigger than any you've made before, especially in such short succession," Blinky said. "To say nothing of your ability to enable us to enter this deserted warehouse!" The Troll looked around the dimly lit building. "A place both large, and secluded, where we have no worries of being discovered!"


	2. Meet the New Teachers

"Coach and the Nurse are gone?" Jim asked. His shoulder and lower ribs ached from their last practice on the forge, and he could tell that Claire and Toby weren't much better. They'd gotten a little to into that drill, and Draal hadn't held back, playing the role of 'enemy'.

"Yeah, Coach went on vacation and so did the nurse," Toby said. "She said something about too much stress."

"Jim," Claire said, looking around the PE field to make certain nobody was too close to them. Darcie was coaxing Mary out of the locker room, the Asian still nervous after her waking nightmare. "Do you think it could be changelings?"

"Stricklander's already here," Toby said, munching on a Nougat Nummy. "Why would he need more?"

"To keep watch on us?" Jim asked. "I don't know, Tobes."

"Well, here comes the first one—" Claire blinked. "That is _not_ coach."

The guy coming out looked like he knew what he was doing and suddenly Jim was reminded of how some of the trolls, the ones who didn't just play at fighting, walked on the Heroes Forge.

"Right everyone, gather'round," he waited until the entire class was there, including Mary and Darcy. Jim saw Mary mouth "hot teacher" to Darcy. "Okay, I'm Mr. Barandis, and I'll be here for maybe a few weeks. Before we start, I want to see where you are. So we'll do a run, then try the obstacle course, and then end with a quick game. Everyone got that?"

A chorus of agreement answered him, and moments later Jim was off with the others. Even given his sore ribs, he, Claire and Toby had no problem keeping up. Months of drills, fights to the death and running for their lives had kept them fit. Very fit.

Fit enough that they had to focus on not standing out, because someone might wonder about it.

But Jim was still focusing on how he could deal with Stricklander. Stricklander who had a troll assassin at his beck and call, and who was _dating his mother._ He and Mom hardly talked anymore.

And that really hurt. But he couldn't tell her the real reason, and so she thought he was _jealous_ of Strickler, that he never wanted her to have a boyfriend.

And that—Eli, climbing up on the ropes next to him, lost his grip. It wasn't _far, _and unlike coach, Mr. Barandis had insisted that they put out the mats, but even so, Eli couldn't fall right to save his _life. _Jim slapped his hand out, grabbing Eli and swinging him down… And then pain flared out on his shoulder, even as Mr. Barandis moved _faster_ than he'd ever seen a sub move and grabbed Eli on the way down. Then Jim let himself fall, wincing as he hit the ground, the jolt running up to his shoulder.

"You okay, Jim?"

"Yes sir," Jim said, then blinked. The sub's gaze was focused up on where his sleeve had pulled back, showing the bruising from their drilling. "It's… I hit the door on the way out today," he said.

"Uh-huh." He gestured for the door. "You still need to have it checked out by the nurse. School rules."

"I—okay." _Great._ Still, Jim could just tell the nurse that he had fallen. And he _had_. Not a problem.

* * *

Natasha was used to fitting into a lot of places, and school nurse wasn't even on the top ten of the weirdest places she'd had to fit in. And part of that was dressing for the part. She was dressed, not to disguise the fact that she was attractive, since that helped in talking to people, but to dial back any overt sex appeal. She's be of interest to the students, but not intimidating to any of them.

The day had started normally, kids coming in, some of them sick, some of them simply trying to get out of classes.

But midway through the day, James Lake Jr., came walking in the door, slightly favoring his right side.

"Mr. Lake," Natasha said. "What's the problem?"

"I just hit a door on the way to school today, but Mr. Barandis wanted me to have it checked out."

"Very well, let me see the bruising."

Like most teenaged boys, Lake wasn't a fan of showing off for older women, but his reluctance seemed to go beyond that. He pulled his shirt up, showing the arm and a bit of his rib—_Hit a door hell. Those are bruises from hard impacts. You don't get that from a door. _"I see," she said. "What has your mother said?"

"Not much. You know, she's a doctor, so if there was any problem…"

"I think I'd like to get a note from her that she or another medical professional have examined you," Natasha said. "Let me write the note." She did it while rapidly focusing on the information she had read regarding James Lake when she'd been preparing for the role.

_Possible mental issues, recently arrested due to a prank in a museum, hospitalized due to animal attack. Single mother who is also a doctor. _

She snorted at that. No animal left injuries like those. No doctor would make a mistake like that. So why had his mother covered for him?

Covered for him, or covered for herself? Natasha really hoped that her investigation hadn't just stumbled into a case of child abuse.

She reached over and handed James a business card. "Put that in your wallet please," she said. "If your bruises should lead to any questions or further issues, I'd like you to call me so I can set up an appointment, James."

"Jim—I go by Jim," he said.

"I see, Jim." She smiled. "Now hurry and you won't be late for your other classes."

Jim nodded and practically ran out of her office, carrying the card with him.

The card that also incorporated a SHIELD issue locater bug.


	3. Discoveries

Steve Rodgers enjoyed playing tourist. When Tony got a hold of him, it was usually to show him the newest and greatest tech, quite often some gadget that he had to spend half a day learning how to turn on, let alone use.

They'd gotten off on the wrong foot, but Stark did grow on you.

_At times, like a fungus,_ Natasha had said, but in a tone of affectionate exasperation.

But Steve had never really been excited about the tech—it was a tool, nothing more. But this…

The America he'd grown up in had been groaning under the greatest depression in history, dictatorships springing up like rotting corpses all over the world, and then he'd been in a war where the tech Tony liked so much had been perverted into the service of monsters.

And they'd won, and now this nation was more prosperous, more at peace than any time he'd remembered.

Hell, among his coworkers, not a single one had lost a child, or known someone who had lost a child to illness.

The world wasn't perfect, but it was so very much brighter than the years of his childhood.

Which is why he was going to fight to _keep_ it this way.

But this town, under the bright surface had some secrets…

"So, there's a curfew?" he asked the waitress he'd struck a conversation up with. "I was riding around on my bike last night and didn't see many people out of the city center."

"Oh, no curfew!" she said, stuttering. "But there are wild animals in the woods around here, it's safer to just, you know, stick to the lights."

_Really_. Wild animals meant sending out the humane society. But not here. Here people just stayed in after dark unless they were going directly to or from home. Steve had ridden around the streets, and by nine everyone was indoors. Nobody lurking around, no kids riding bikes, risking grounding. They weren't asleep—you could see plenty of TV's on in living rooms… They just didn't go out in the night.

"Been that way for a while?" Steve smiled at her as she filled his coffee cup.

"Oh, like forever. I mean, I grew up here, and you just don't want to risk it—also, don't leave your cats outside. They go missing a lot."

"Well, I don't have a cat, but thanks for the advice."

_Okay, that's interesting. Loki was only on earth for a few weeks… which means that there's something else going on. _

And Steve was starting to wonder if Loki had anything to do with this at all. Fury thought he might, but Fury really hated being caught off balance, so Steve wondered if he was seeing Loki plots in every shadow.

But just because it wasn't a Loki plot didn't mean there was nothing going on.

* * *

Clint watched as the last of the kids headed for the front of the school. It was nice, sometimes to get out and see normal people, people who didn't need to push their body as hard as they could, because that was the difference between life and death.

But there were things under the surface here that didn't quite make sense. When Jim had come back the next day, he'd worn long sleeves and had been very careful to not show his bruises.

But he didn't _act _ like an abuse victim, though to be fair, people responded in many different ways.

No, he acted like he thought Clint might attack him at any minute, and so did his friends. They stuck together in PE, and only relaxed once they were out of it.

"I used to think school was safe before were were attacked by those nightmares…" Claire had murmured as she and her friends had been running round the track.

"And isn't that interesting," Clint said to himself. Attacked. Everyone else had talked about the _accident_, but Claire had said _attacked. _

Then there was the way Jim tensed up around Stricklander. Break room gossip was that Stricklander was dating his mother, with the typical jokes about jealous teens.

But Jim didn't act jealous. He acted both afraid of Stricklander, though he concealed it well, and like he hated the man. The "I will end you one day" style hatred.

_And speak of the devil, there they are._

"We're going to be so late!" Jim said. "Ugh! I wish Senor Uhl hadn't picked today to hold us late!"

"Shortcut?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Toby said, and the three were running, laughing like ordinary teens, before they vanished behind a building.

_That's odd_. None of their homes were in that direction. _Guess they have a show or somet—_

"Barton!"

"What is it, Stark?" Clint subvocalized.

"SPYEYE just picked up a portal, 40 meters south of your position."

_Forty—_Clint moved as fast as he could. That was where the kids had gone. He ran past the corner…

And nothing. No kids. An irrigation ditch on one side was blocked off by a chain link fence, and on the the other side, there were the backs of shops, locked delivery doors facing the road. Clint moved to check the ditch. Nothing.

"I just had some kids vanish."

"Well, we picked two flashes. One where you are, and the other one about three miles away."

_We're going to be so late. Shortcut?_

"I… understand. Natasha bugged Jim Lake. Can you pick up the beacon?"

"Yeah—well. It was where you were, then it blipped out and appeared, guess where."

"Three miles away?"

"Got it in one, and—that's interesting. It just vanished. Geolocator has them be… By one of the bridges over the river."

_A bridge wouldn't block the bug…_

"Keep watch. I bet they'll reappear before too long."

"You think they're in trouble?"

"Or part _of_ the trouble. They were running late."

Tony fell silent for a moment. "Tell me you don't think Loki left a present to help teens with their scheduling issues."

"I'm beginning to wonder if this has anything to do with Loki."

"_Another_ group with space portal powers?"

"Yah. I'll get together with Nat and see if Steve has found out anything, but Fury's gonna have _kittens_ over this."


	4. Gathering Clouds

"I got Toby into the office today," Natasha said. Everyone was listening in. "He tried to grill me."

Clint chuckled. "How far did that go?"

"Well,he knows I've been to Budapest," Natasha said. "And I got his life story—mostly what we know, but over the last couple of months, he's been doing something, and he was trying to hide it." Natasha shook her head in her apartment. The kid had made the typical mistake—describing some things in painful detail, normal, ordinary things that you just didn't remember, and then barely able to remember things that he should have remembered. He'd invented a story, but never planned to actually have to tell it.

"Are they human?" Fury asked.

"Yah." Clint chuckled. "Or they have teenage hormones. Mary made a joke about Jim and Claire being late for sexy face-time reasons and I think he might have actually caught fire he turned so red."

"So why are they running around making portals, and who are they talking to?" Fury said. "And are they being used by Loki?"

"Thor said that the staff's effects should have faded, and they all did," Steve said. "I think this is something different. You got my report on the town, right?"

"We've finished looking at all the old records," Fury responded. "And we found something very interesting." A holograph was projected in front of Natasha's face.

"What am I looking at?"

"Hobo symbol for danger. Apparently, during the Great Depression, Arcadia was the one place that had no hobo problem—at least not more than one day. At night they got out, or vanished." Fury flicked another image up. "1970s, they had the Milk Carton Epidemic. Over forty kids vanished from the town and surrounding regions. Tapered off during the 1980s, and it was assumed to be the work of a serial killer." He shrugged. "It's only been in the last few decades that the town has recovered, for most of the 1980s and 1990s not many people wanted to live here."

"So, not Loki."

"Unlikely," Thor said. _He_ was with Fury on the carrier.

Thor was great in a fight, but other than the Hulk, Natasha couldn't think of anyone less likely to fit in. Tony was at his mansion, working on a new suit of armor, but at the speed he flew, that wasn't an issue.

"I got a bug on Toby and Jim," Natasha said. "Claire's been a bit harder. I didn't want to tip my hand."

"Any talk?" Fury asked.

"Normal stuff," Natasha said. "But they've been—" Abruptly the pad gave a beep. "They jumped again."

"SPYEYE shows that it's from the Nunez's house… second signature at the Lakes and… the Domzalski house and a fourth one close to where the bugs' signals vanished." Bruce paused. "Well, now we know they're controlling it and how nobody sees them running around."

"So why haven't they ported directly to their destination?" Fury asked.

"Maybe they can't see before they arrive—they might not want to risk appearing in front of someone," Natasha said. But then the bugs started relaying words and everyone fell silent.

"Jim, Angor isn't going to wait very long," Claire's voice sounded.

"I know, Claire, but we can't exactly try to chop his hand off—remember mom?"

"I know," Claire huffed. "But I just wish we could fix this—I'm worried about Enrique, what might happen to him…"

_A hostage situation?_ But she'd _seen_ Claire's brother yesterday. "Fury, I think we're on a time limit here."

"Agreed. Rodgers, Barton, Romanov, meet them. Stark, get in your suit and get here ASAP. Thor, you as well." Fury's voice was grim. "Detain and interview."

"I'll focus on tracking them if they try to portal away," Bruce said, not sounding unhappy at all to be missing a fight.

* * *

Natasha was furious. The tracker she'd put on Jim had shown where he and the other kids kept going—and then it vanished, like it was some kind of shielded location. They couldn't let them get there, especially since they had no idea of potential allies—or more likely, captors. Worse was the audio they now had as they were closing on the kids.

"We can't fight him," Jim had said. "For now, I have to do what he tells us to."

"Jim, we can help—"

"But what about my mom? And they can be _anyone._"

_Which means they're definitely being blackmailed, possibly mind controlled. Worse, they could be telling the truth._

"I'm on route to cut them off from the location they go off coms. Clint?"

"On it." Clint was moving over the roof tops, trying to get ahead of the kids.A bedroom community, with its low buildings and spread out housing _really_ didn't play to a sniper's strength.

"Moving in from the North," And there was Steve.

"Thor and Stark are inbound," Fury said.

"Don't trust us to handle three kids?" Natasha asked, trying to lighten the mood. On the other hand, Thor and Iron Man would go a long way to convincing anyone, especially three teens, that starting a fight was a _bad_ idea.

"If they _are_ kids," Fury said.

"They are," Clint said, his voice certain. "Did you _hear_ Lake start stuttering when Mary joked about him and Claire? I don't care how good you are, you can't fake that."

"Right," Steve said. "We don't know if they're being controlled, blackmailed, or just don't know what's going on, but they may fight us with lethal force. But they're kids. We take them down, fast, and we do it non-lethally. Tony, what have you got?"

"Not a lot," Tony said, rocketing towards Arcadia. "Fury told me we might be seeing more Chitauri, so I'm loaded up with heavy firepower… A couple of foam tips for my missiles and I can turn the repulsors down, but that's it."

"I've got enough," Clint said. "But the kids are fast—they've been sandbagging at PE. Don't underestimate them."

"Right," Tony said. "Fast, but gentle… and that really didn't sound as creepy in my head as it just did aloud."

"They're two blocks short of the bridge where they keep vanishing," Natasha said. "I'll intercept them first, do the talking."

"Counting on teen hormones?" Clint asked. "Lake's head over heels for Claire."

"No, I'm hoping they won't want to beat up their nurse, and that'll give us time to de-escalate."

"Well, that'd be a first for us…" Tony said.

Nobody gainsayed him.


	5. Confrontation

Jim, Claire and Toby were hurrying along to the bridge. Blinky and Arrrggghhh were waiting for them.

"I bet they're both part of the Janus Order," Jim muttered.

"Jim, everyone who shows up at school can't be part of the order!" Claire said.

"Of course they can, and who would think that a totally hot nurse was actually a troll?" Toby mentioned. "I, of course, was able to get her whole life story, with my smooth ways."

"Was this after you face planted in PE?" Claire asked. "Our sub…" she shuddered. "I'd never think that anyone could be harder than Coach."

"Yeah, but some of those exercises," Jim said. "I mean, they're really good. I think we should incorporate them into our drills at the Heroes Forge. So, what was her life story?"

"Oh, um, she went to a private school, did some stuff in Europe—you know she's been to Budapest?"

"And?" Claire asked.

"And… Oh, she asked me about some stuff. I had to tell her, you know, where I was born, how we do things, some of the reasons I'm late, my favorite game, why you guys are my—"

"In other words," Jim said. "You told her everything…"

"Not about our trollhunting!" Toby said. "I kept that quiet."

"But I really _would like _to hear about it," a female voice said as the nurse stepped out into the street in front of the three kids. She wasn't wearing the normal white uniform, being dressed in dark, tight clothing and the way she stood…

_Like a fighter,_ Jim thought, as Claire and Toby moved away from him. They'd all talked about what they'd do if the Janus Order tried to take them out, and Jim found his gaze seeking out shadows, as if anyone else was moving in on them.

"You come here a lot, and then you vanish," she said. "It makes someone curious."

_Shit. They want our horngazel._ It'd be the gateway to Trollmarket.

"You're with the Janus Order," Jim said.

"What?"

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" Seconds later, the armor materialized around him and then Claire and Toby pulled out their own weapons. "You've done enough to my mom, you're not getting _us!"_

* * *

_Shit._ Natasha was used to working with, and against, the pros. The guy who would smile and talk to you knowing that violence was an instant away.

She'd gotten _too_ used to it, and she had expected these three to behave the same way. Except now she was increasingly convinced that whatever powers they had, whatever situation they were in, they were teenagers without a lot of experience.

And that meant they had the teenage ability to not just step over the line, but leap right over it on their way to a bad decision. "Clint, I could use a little assistance," she called. She could take them out, but the kid looked like he knew how to use that sword, Toby had a hammer out (and where had it come from?) and she had _no_ idea what Claire's staff could do, except that it was giving her ugly Loki flashbacks. Which meant she wasn't certain she could stop them _all _without hurting them, and the Black Widow _did_ have some children's blood in her book—but she was damned if she was going to add to it.

"Going for Claire," Clint said. The other two had tools they could understand.

Claire was the unknown, the most dangerous.

The girl barely had a chance to notice when Clint's arrow exploded into a net of fibers, wrapping her arms tightly against her body.

"Jim!" she cried out, as he spun around to leap over her, a shield forming on his arm. But then, just as Natasha ran for them, a _hole_ opened up in the ground and the three just fell through the ground, the portal sealing shut behind them.

_Dammit!_ "Widow to everyone, the girl has a portal generator of some kind. No sign that it has mind control properties like Loki's scepter, but use _extreme_ caution."

"Gotcha," Stark fell silent, then "A second portal opened just a block away, they're going for the bridge."

"I can cut them off," Steve said.

"Be careful Cap," Tony said. "No reason to think they can't open a portal and dump you out about five hundred feet in the air. ETA 30 seconds."

* * *

When the three popped out just a block from the bridge, Jim bent down and started sawing through the web with one of his daggers.

"This is tough," he muttered. His daggers could slice though metal, steak (not that he would admit to using a sacred artifact when he couldn't find the steak knife) and thick ropes—but this web was tougher than any of them.

"Who were those guys?!" Claire said. "I didn't even see where the arrow came from?"

"Goblins? Goblins use crossbows," Toby said, his flaming hammer out, the short kid looking back down the street as Jim got Claire to her feet.

"I don't know, but let's run."

"I could try to port—"

Jim shook his head. "No. If they follow us to Trollmarket you'll need all your strength and I think we've lost them."

"Son, I think there's been a mistake. We're not your enemy."

The three teens looked up at the end of the road were a man was standing in the light of a streetlamp, between them and Trollmarket.

And gleaming in the light was a shield that everyone in the world knew about since the Battle of New York.

"Captain… _America?_" Jim said and hated the way his voice squeaked at the end.

"The same."

"No way!" Toby burst out. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find out what's going on in the town—like those portals, Ms. Nunez." His voice was calm, the kind of voice that made you want to trust him.

Like Mr. Stricklander's voice. The voice he'd used to trick his mother into tying her life to his, to use her against Jim.

"No. You're a changeling," Jim said. "We know about Stricklander!"

"Your principal." The fake America shook his head, that same disarming, _treacherous_ smile on it. "I'm afraid we don't. But if we all just calm down and talk about it, we can—"

And that was when a roar erupted from the street, as a fence exploded out in fragments and a blue and green form rolled into the street, focused on the changeling.

Draal the Deadly had arrived.

And the changeling _moved,_ faster than anyone Jim had ever seen, spinning around and letting his shield fly into the Troll, knocking him to the side, opening Draal for a kick that unbalanced him. Then the shield ricocheted off of a street light, back into the grip of the changeling. He sighed, and Jim heard him mutter "right, we have to do this the hard way."

And then there was a gold and crimson armored form that came rocketing down the street and behind it, the formerly clear skies were starting to cloud over, thunder rumbling through the air.

_I think I may have fucked up…_ But they couldn't just surrender—the changelings would get them—even if these were the real Avengers, what if they were changelings or some of the police were? What if they didn't believe him about his mom and hurt Stricklander?

Jim bit his lip. "Guys," he said. "Don't try to fight—just get to Trollmarket and once we get there, we can… figure out what to do?"

"Do what?" Claire said, eyes wide, face pale. "Hide? Run away from home? Jim if these are—"

"I know, but we can get time to… Think of something. Just go for the portal, I'll delay them."

"No," Claire said. "We're with you." She put herself to his side, checking against any enemies coming from that direction, while Toby did the same to his left, the three forming a triangle. "Arrrggghhh and Mr. Blinky will hear this, they can be here soon and we can all fight our way to the gate. We're not leaving you behind…"

And then, things got a little too busy to talk.


	6. Battle Part I

Hawkeye aimed at Claire, this arrowhead a taser. He didn't like it, but the longer she was in the fight, the longer she had to get seriously hurt. But Claire somehow noticed him, and moments before the arrow hit her, a portal opened in front of her, the shaft vanishing.

_She's fast_, Clint thought, rolling by reflex in case that staff could do anything else. But the girl stayed still, looking up at him with wide eyes, holding the staff in a guard position as her boyfriend ran to aid the rock creature against Steve.

_Sorry kid, but I don't think your boyfriend is in Cap's league. _

"Hang on, Clint," Tony said. "Jarvis, confirm repulsor settings,"

"Five percent, Mr. Stark."

Clint winced. The kid was going to have bruises tomorrow.

Then Tony landed, hands out thrust. "Last warning, put the stick down now."

Claire raised her staff, and Tony cocked his head. "Sorry about this." He fired his repulsors, right into the portal she had created.

And _out of _a portal right behind Tony, striking him in the back.

Repulsors turned down to not harm a teen-aged girl barely moved Tony, but then Claire jumped back into a _third_ portal, vanishing.

"So, she's playing with portals. Smart kid. Jarvis, put up any portal egress points," Tony said.

"Yes sir."

And then Clint heard a roar, as a very _large_ creature, covered in moss and glowing lines, charged into the fray, followed by a four-armed, six eyed being.

_Where the hell are all these things coming from?_ He'd thought that they had some kind of bolt-hole under the bridge, but it was looking like they'd drastically underestimated what was going on.

"Get away from Master Jim, Fiends!" the four armed critter yelled and chucked a glowing stone at Natasha and Clint, as Toby raised up his hammer.

Clint dove to the side, and let another net go, this one catching Toby in the chest and wrapping him helplessly. Natasha moved fast, shielding herself behind a car before the rock exploded with the force of a grenade.

_No shrapnel, though. _

"Arrrggghhh!" Toby shouted, and the big critter swerved without pausing, scooping the immobilized teen up before it vanished down an alley—an alley that was wider after its passage.

_Get the kid out of the combat zone so he can get him free. They've got combat experience. A bedroom community in California, and they have combat experience. What the hell have these kids been **doing?**_

* * *

Steve Rodgers caught the sword on his shield, then swept his legs out to knock the teen down, before spinning around and blocking a blow from the creature that had first attacked him.

"Draal! Get Claire and Toby out of here!"

"I'll not abandon you to the Order, Trollhunter!"

_Order, what Order?_ They weren't fighting like strangers. Jim was back up and coming at him from his left while the creature moved in from his right, the two acting like they'd fought together.

But this wasn't a trap. Jim was acting _desperate_, not like he'd planned any of this. They all were, as if they feared what might happen if they lost.

_Dammit. If only this Draal hadn't charged in, I might have been able to talk them down. _

"Get ready to duck, Cap," Tony's voice. "I'll handle the big guy."

"Try not to kill it. I don't think we have the whole story."

"Well, that's not exactly unusual for us. Go."

Steve spun aside as Tony paused for a moment, then twin repulsor bolts blasted Draal across the street and into a second hand furniture store.

"DRAAL!" Jim screamed. Moments later, he threw a pair of glaives at Tony. Tony dodged one, and blasted the other away with a repulsor bolt, before Steve forced Jim back on the defensive. The kid's blows were getting less controlled, more wild, as he tried to see what had happened to Draal.

"Cap?"

"Help Natasha and Clint find Claire. We let her get too far away, I doubt we can find her again." _And we need to find out if that staff has any relation to the Tesseract. _

* * *

In the alley, Aaarrrggghhh ripped the net from Toby. Toby hissed in pain as some of the strands cut into him, blood staining his shirt. "C'mon, Wingman," Toby said. "We gotta get back and help Jim and Claire."

"Why fighting?"

"I dunno! Maybe they're not really the Avengers, or maybe someone cast a spell on them, but we can't let them catch us!" Toby flourished his war hammer the glowing head trailing heat and light. "So let's go—"

There was a bolt of lighting that blinded him for a moment, flashing from the end of the alley. Moment's later, a tall, powerful man stood, hammer twirling in his hand.

"A troll," he said, in a wondering voice. "I haven't seen one of your kind…" then his voice hardened. "And bearing Gunmar's tattoos. I had thought you had all vanished from this earth. Step aside from the child!"

"We're so dead," Toby said, trying, but failing to keep the squeak from his voice. He hefted his hammer. "We are _so_ dead," he repeated.


	7. Battle Part II

"Get away from the troll," Thor said. "You know not what they are capable of."

"Arrrggghhh's my Wingman!" Toby said. "We're friends! He lives in my house?"

"And how many people has he eaten!" Thor said, "You are being deceived!"

"No I'm—" And before Toby could finish, Thor threw his hammer, knocking Arrrggghhh away from the boy.

"You hurt him!" Toby screamed in fury and charged Thor, bringing his hammer up—And Thor dodged it, letting it hit the ground. Toby shrank the hammer, pulling away before Thor could grab it, then once again normal sized, swung it at Thor…

KLANG!

"Oooowwwww…" Toby moaned, his hands feeling like they were about to fall off from the transmitted shock. His hammer had struck Thor's…

And hadn't moved. At all.

"Now, if you will—"

"NO HURT WINGMAN!" Arrrggghhh roared, hitting Thor, low and dirty. The Asgardian was pushed back, but regained his footing and smashed Arrrggghhh to the ground with one blow. He raised his hammer, lightning flashing in the sky.

"Why?" Thor asked. "So you can devour him?!"

"Not hurt Toby, _Never_ hurt Toby!" Arrrggghhh roared, hauling back to punch Thor.

"Then surrender! Surrender yourself to justice and I, Thor of Asgard, Odinson, swear that no harm shall come to the boy!"

Arrrggghhh stopped. "Promise. Even from other trolls?"

"I can give no greater oath."

Arrrgggghhhh paused, stared at Thor, then let go, bowing his head. "Strike fast."

"W-no!" Toby said, running in front of Arrrggghhhh. "He's not going to hurt you! He'll have to go through me, first!"

"Indeed I will not," Thor said. "No servant of Gunmar's would ever pretend to surrender in order to protect a human. Not that you need all that much protecting. From your size, hammer, and valiant defense, you remind me of a friend of mine, Volstagg." He glanced towards the street where the sound of fighting continued. "Well, let's attempt to convince the others. I expect there is a great tale here, but we'd best not make it a tragedy."

* * *

Claire crouched behind a billboard, but it wasn't helping. Iron Man, or the changeling pretending to be him seemed to know wherever she went. Every time she portaled, he'd turn around and head for her in seconds.

_What if he is Iron Man?_ They were dead, they were dead twice over. They wouldn't even get a chance to run away. Would she go to Juvie? Real prison? What would her mother think? Claire tried to stop hyperventilating and think. If she could stop Iron Man, then they could escape. Nobody else could track her portals. But she had to knock him out of the sky…

She looked up at where he was, coming towards her. If she could…

Before she could convince herself it was a bad idea, Claire created a portal.

And appeared right above Iron Man, falling forward, her legs locked. She'd hit him right in his ba—

She struck and _agony_ flared up from her legs, a crack sounding from her ankle, and all Iron Man did was dip slightly, a surprised curse coming from him. Claire had planned to grab him, create a portal while she was riding him, so she could portal him away, but now her legs felt like they'd been broken and she was skidding off his side—she threw one arm up, trying to grab him as the staff flew out of her other hand.

For a second, she held on to him, and then, with an ugly popping sound and more pain than she'd ever felt, her arm was pulled out of its socket. Claire screamed in pain and terror as she spun through the air.

* * *

Tony barely had a chance to react from the warning when the girl hit him. His armor had survived everything from Chitauri to high explosive tank shells—he barely felt her land on him, the only real sign the slight increase of his repulsors, but then she screamed and fell, and suddenly inertia was working against Tony—he braked for all he was worth, spinning down after her.

Some thought that Tony's only gift was building suits. But not one man in a thousand could have piloted the Iron Man suit. Tony's mind spun equations, inertia, weight, how fast he could get to her, how fast he could _hit_ her without killing her.

And the answer was simple. He could grab her, but they'd both go into a wall, and unlike Tony, the kid wasn't armored. And if he stopped full strength, she probably wouldn't thank him for the third degree burns.

"Clint! I've got a pickup for you!" Cap would be better, but Cap had dance partners. Tony fired a volley of missiles, close enough to distract the bomb-chucking lunatic, far enough to not hurt him, and in that moment, Clint looked up, saw what was happening and moved. "She'll be coming in by the sidewalk, fast and she's hurt."

"Gotcha!" Clint said, and ran, moving to where he needed to be.

Tony reached out, and just a few dozen feet grabbed Claire, ignoring her sob of pain and put everything he could into killing the velocity and getting her to go where she needed to go. Clint was there and… He let her go in time for Clint to grab her, tucking and rolling, protecting her from the pavement, her lighter body carrying a lot less energy than Tony.

Then Tony put everything into braking…

"Well, I didn't hit the building," he said. Of course, the store display was now cheerily burning from his jets. "Jarvis, remind me to send a check to the owners."

"Of course sir."

* * *

Clint took the girl into the roll. It hurt, but then, he was used to it. She was making little gasping noises, she hadn't taken any heat or neck trauma. That was—

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Clint moved. You heard that kind of tone from someone who was beyond being reasoned with, who _would_ kill anyone who got between them and their loved ones. They had a chance to stop this and he wasn't going to fuck it up.

"Oh God, Oh God, Claire! Claire are you alright?!" Jim had dropped his sword as he fell to his knees by her. "I can't move you, you could be hurt!"

"I, Jim help me stand—" Jim tried and lifted Claire up, but the moment she put weight on her left ankle she sobbed in agony and fell into him.

"It's broken, I can't move my arm—" Claire said, biting her lip to try and keep from sobbing again.

"We can use the staff. Vendel can-"

"I—I lost it. I lost it," she said. "I screwed up, Jim, I'm sorry—"

"Jim." Jim looked up and snarled, his face contorted as his sword reappeared in his free hand.

Steve didn't say anything. Then, he got down on one knee, and put the shield down. He stood back up and undid his helmet, pulling it to the side. "Nobody wants a fight. I think we all made mistakes, but Claire needs help and believe me, we'll give it."

"What if you're changelings!" Jim said, his eyes wide, flicking from one to the other as he kept trying to put his body between the Avengers and Claire, the girl barely able to stand on her single good leg.

"They are not!" Thor said, as he, Toby and Arrrggghhh came out. Draal and Blinky looked at him.

"Arrrggghhhh?" Blinky asked.

"Asgardian," The troll replied.

"I—Great Merlin, the last Asgardian to meet us was during Kyra the Noble's term, I—" Blinky stared, "But what of the others?"

"Use Gaggletack?"

"I…" Blinky looked around, then nodded. "It seems, old friend as if the force of arms has failed us."

"What's a Gaggletack?" Clint asked.

"A tool made of cold iron, used to reveal some forms of mystical illusion," Thor said. "I wasn't aware they still existed on Earth."

"They are rare, but since our conflict with the—"

"Throw it to me first," Natasha said in the 'we don't have time for a lecture' tone. "Claire needs treatment."

"Yes, of course," And moments later, a horseshoe was tossed to her. Nat grabbed it in one bare hand. "Satisfied?"

"Yes," Blinky said.

Clint filed that one under 'way too innocent for his own good'. If Clint had to worry about iron, you could bet he'd have flesh colored gloves handy.

But Natasha quickly moved towards Jim, hands out in the "I'm harmless" poise, carefully working to not spook the boy. Jim kept trying to see everything around him without taking his eyes off Claire. Claire was biting her lip, but even so, he could hear her stifled sobs. She was in pain, and she was still sounding angry for screwing up, at least in her mind. Both teens had tears running down their face, Claire from pain, Jim because Claire _was_ in pain, Clint bet.

And it said something about their experiences that Claire was _able_ to stifle her sobs from a dislocated arm and possibly broken ankle.

"Okay," Natasha said as Clint took his turn with the magic whatever it was. "I think we need to get her to a sickbay for the ankle…"

A gold and crimson form came rocketing back, Claire's staff in his hand. "Let me check," Tony said, his helmet retracting. He looked pale. Tony had issues about people, especially kids getting in danger. Having a girl almost kill herself fighting him probably wasn't doing him any good.

Walking to her, he knelt down with a fine lack of care for Jim's personal space.

"Jarvis?"

"A minor ankle fracture sir."

"Well, God protects idiots. Can we do something about the pain?"

"Not yet," Natasha said. "Not until we get her to the carrier. I don't want to risk shock."

"Not an idiot…" Claire said, trying to sound defiant, but the snot and tears on her pale face ruined the effect.

"Really? Then what were you trying to do?"

"Tony," Cap said.

"I was trying to knock you off balance, and then get my arms around you and fly you into a portal across town so I could—" Claire hissed in pain. "Get us away."

"Not a good plan. You weigh what, 90 pounds, soaking wet? You hit me at about 25 miles per hour, and you're _lucky_ you have a minor fracture instead of _shattered legs_. Were you out… Doing whatever you do when you were supposed to have your applied physics course?"

"We don't have an applied physics course!" Clint noticed Natasha touch Jim on the shoulder and direct him to hold Claire tight. She gently took Claire's dislocated arm and waited.

"Okay, how about common sense, you know, the 'I probably shouldn't teleport five hundred feet straight up onto Iron Man without a parachute' variety?"

"I didn't have a lot of time to thi—_Ohgod!" _Claire's angry words dissolved into a moan of pain as Natasha expertly re-socketed the arm.

"Thanks for distracting her, Tony." She said. "Your arm should be fine, but it's going to be sore for a while."

"I… Thank you." Claire sniffled. "I really—"

"Sometimes we don't get the luxury of thinking about the best thing to do and have to go with the plan we can make on the spot," Steve said. "But we need to get you all to a place where we can talk."

"Yeah, Fury wants us on the carrier yesterday and…" Tony paused. "Lots of incoming emergency services. Fury's sending some clean up, but he wants to see the kids."

"I…" Claire bit her lip. "I can walk."

"No." Arrggghhh walked over and picked Claire up, tucking her into his arm, supporting her leg and injured arm like an adult might an infant. "I carry."

_And that's not the weirdest thing you've seen, but it's definitely in the top ten. _

"I…" Suddenly there was a flash around Jim, the Avengers tensing, and then he was the skinny 16 year old Clint had taught PE do while he was undercover. His face had rapidly purpling bruises on it, and he was limping. Worst was the look on his face a cross between _My screwup is irrecoverable_ and _I let down my friends. _"I'm sorry. I thought you were… Well, if I'd just talked, I—Claire wouldn't be—" he fell silent and swallowed.

"She'll be fine," Cap said. "And we need to get you looked at as well. You and your friend were too good for me to go easy on you."

"And that's a compliment," Natasha said as the quinjet flew overhead, preparing to find a landing spot.

"Wait!" Jim said. "My mom. Draal has been guarding her. Can he…"

_His mom needs a bodyguard?_

"Sign of trust?" Tony said. "I got no problem, what about you, Cap?"

"No problem," Steve said, and the kids and trolls relaxed fractionally.

And then they were heading to what Clint expected would be one of Fury's more memorable explosions, especially when the part about disguised trolls came to the fore.


	8. After the Battle

_I almost got Claire killed. I almost got Claire killed…_ Jim wanted to scream as the jet landed in front of them. He couldn't think about his mom or the trolls or anything else but the way Claire had been tumbling through the air, and it was all because he hadn't been good enough.

"I'll protect your mother's home, Trollhunter," Draal said. "From anyone." That was followed by a suspicious glare at the Avengers and then Draal was running off into the night. Blinky was staring at the jet, eyes (all six) wide.

"I don't think they'll let you fly it, Mr. Blinky." Claire said from her place in Arrrggghhh's arms.

She was trying to smile, but Jim could see how pale she was, still trembling.

_I almost got her killed._

"That amulet," Thor said. "May I see it?"

Jim tensed, but then held it out so that the _in the flesh Asgardian God_ could see it.

"Eitri's work," Thor said softly. "This amulet was forged by the same dwarf who forged Mjølnir."

"I thought Merlin made it," Jim said.

"Oh, he might have worked some sorcery on it, but no, no human or Asgardian could make this." Thor stared at it. "It will find the worthy to wield it, and grow with them through their lives."

"I don't feel very worthy right now," Jim said. _I almost got Claire killed._

"The worthy never do," Thor said and clapped Jim on the back (almost knocking him flat). "Come! Let us join your lady fair."

Inside, Arrrggghhh allowed a deeply suspicious crewman to assist Claire into a seat, expertly putting an emergency support around her ankle. Claire hissed in pain but then smiled at Jim. Blinky and Arrrggghhh took up positions in the rear bay, the Avengers watching them carefully, while Jim buckled in next to Toby and Claire.

"This is awesomesauce!" Toby said.

"We just got beat by the Avengers," Jim replied.

"I know!" Toby said.

"Jim," Claire quietly said, and Jim looked at her. She was still in pain. "It's not your fault. What if they had been changelings?"

"I… I just shouldn't have let things get out of hand. I should have done better."

"Draal kinda started the brawl," Hawkeye said (and Jim still had a hard time putting 'Hawkeye' and 'PE sub' into the same sentence). "You had to roll with what happened. Claire use the staff much?"

"Yeah."

"I'm getting better at it," Claire said. "I mean, I practiced hitting moving targets with it, and…"

"Still a really hard thing to do, landing on Tony like that," Hawkeye said.

"That's actually what brought us here." Captain America said.

Jim and Claire blinked. "Why?" Claire asked.

"We put together a sensor net after New York and it gave off readings like the portal over the city," Iron Man said. "Has anything odd ever come out of it?"

"No… I just use it to go from place to place…" Claire blinked. "But things like those monsters? No."

"Well, that'll make Fury happy," Iron Man said.

* * *

As the quinjet shot through the air, Steve watched the kids. They had fallen silent, a combination of fatigue from the fight and worry over the girl. Toby and Jim were both, well hovering, holding Clair's hands.

Steve didn't smile. He'd seen that a hundred times, both in the war and now. A team wanting to make certain that everyone was okay, that nobody was left alone.

He could tell that Clint and Natasha didn't like it, and Tony _really_ didn't like it.

But Steve would reserve his judgment. There hadn't been a single unit in the war that didn't have its quota of underage recruits, kids who had somehow slipped through, not wanting to let a little thing like a birthday keep them out of the fight. Some found the challenge too great, some rose to it, and too many died. But Steve couldn't keep from admiring them. These kids, who had probably never faced a serious fight before in their lives, had stepped up.

_And people say America's gone soft._

"We'll be landing in 5, sir."

"That soon?" Jim asked.

"We broke mach one just out of Arcadia," Natasha said. "We're over the Pacific now."

"Flying, Arrrggghhh! Just imagine it! I believe we may be the first trolls to fly."

"Bolus the Curious," Arrrggghhh replied.

Blinky's voice was aggrieved. "Flying because you didn't understand that human dynamite wasn't a candle doesn't count, old friend."

* * *

Barbara had been trying to have a quiet conversation with Claire's parents. The problem is, they felt that Jim was a bad influence on their child, and Barbara was wondering if Claire was a bad influence on Jim.

"You can't tell us that you think Claire had anything to do with this!" Ophelia said. "She's been a perfectly behaved young lady…"

"And Jim's been just as well behaved." Barbara sighed. "Ophelia, I'm not _blaming_ anyone, but it's plain that _both_ of our children have been changing. Jim lied to me. He claimed he'd been attacked by wild animals and those bruises and injuries weren't from animals. He's also shown other bruises, and a few times I've seen your daughter limping—Toby as well."

"So what? They're in a fight club?"

"Or…" Barbara decided to go with her biggest fear. "It's possible that a third party is bullying them, and they're afraid to tell us. They're teens. What if someone is threatening them?"

"I—" Ophelia feel silent and Javier clenched his fist. "Why wouldn't they tell us?"

"I don't know. Maybe they think they can handle it themselves. I—" There was a firm knock on their door. Javier walked to, opening it to reveal two men in suits that screamed government.

"Mr. And Mrs. Nunez? Dr. Lake?"

"Yes?"

A badge was flashed. "We're with SHIELD. We'd like you to come with us, please? It concerns your children."

Barbara felt her blood run cold. _Jim, what have you been doing…_

* * *

The trollhunters had been quickly moved inside, right after the jet landed on the deck of a _big_ aircraft carrier. Claire was put in a gurney, nobody paying any attention to her protests (including Jim), and was taken to sickbay, the Black Widow going with her. Jim was directed to follow the rest, and as much as he wanted to stay with her, he didn't have much of a choice. They were ushered through several hallways, guards at every door, into a large conference room. And standing at the front of the room was a bald black man with an eyepatch, his good eye glaring out at them.

"Well, Mr. Lake, I trust that you and your friends…" He looked over at Blinky and Arrrggghhh, "wouldn't mind letting me know what is going on in your town?"

Toby gulped. "Why is he scarier than Bular?"

"I don't know," Jim said. "It's… A long story ah…" he told the man.

"Director Nick Fury, and we _seem _to have some time until your parents arrive."

_Oh God. I'm dead. I'm dead twice over. _ Jim wished he could have been with Claire to say his last goodbyes. "Well, it's like this…"


	9. Debriefings

Jim, Toby and Blinky started talking about their experiences, starting with the amulet calling Jim in the canals. Thor had nodded at that. Most of the talk seemed to go okay, then he got to the right with Draal.

"So after I beat Draal I—"

"Hold on," Mr. Stark said. "This was a duel?"

"Yes, Draal was very angry that the Amulet of Daylight had chosen Master Jim." Blinky smiled. "But after Jim spared his life, he and Jim became fast friends!"

"Yeah, I'm not seeing how that makes up for the part where you put a _fifteen-year-old_ in a stadium to fight for his life." Mr. Stark was glaring at Blinky.

Jim gulped. Mr. Stark sounded pretty… Angry.

"What would have happened if he'd lost?" Fury asked. Fury didn't sound angry, just curious. "If say, Draal had accidentally bashed his head in. Would you have told his mother? What about his friend?"

"They would have—" Toby suddenly fell silent and looked over at Blinky.

"I would have seen Master Tobias home," Blinky said, suddenly sounding a little uncertain.

"Really? From what I've heard, you weren't even able to stop the duel. You're not the leader, are you?" Hawkeye asked.

"No. Vendel the Elder is."

"And I bet _he_ wasn't that happy to have a human down there…" Hawkeye paused. "I mean, an ancient artifact that has always gone to a troll, and now a human—a _kid_ has it…"

"Not at first," Blinky said.

Fury folded his arms. "So it would have been _convenient_ if maybe Jim died, and perhaps something unfortunate happened to his friend."

"Please," Blinky said. "I would never have permitted it."

"You," Tony said. "Not your people, but _you._ Would have gone better if you'd have said that _Vendel_ wouldn't have permitted it, six-eyes."

"Uh…" Jim gulped. "Maybe we could talk about this, um later?" _Because this really isn't going like I thought it would…_

"No, I think we need to talk about it now," Dr. Banner said in that mild voice of his. Jim stared and then gulped harder. Were his eyes turning slightly… _green?_

_Oh **Boy.** _

"Before we severed ties," Thor said quietly. "The trolls of midgard were a solitary, clannish race, and many humans attacked them, just as they attacked humanity. The end of the war, and their departure to the underground did not change things…" He paused. "How old are, you, Sir Blinky?"

"Just over six hundred and fifty years, Odinson,"

"And in that time you have spoken to how many humans?"

"Not as many as I would like," Blinky said. "Our people fear humanity—even those who take advantage of humanity's waste."

"Waste?" Captain America asked.

"Socks. Yummy." Arrrggghhh mimed eating.

"But you were warriors," Thor said.

"Yes, but we confined our battles to among ourselves—with the Gumm-gumms gone and abundant land, most of our fights are ceremonial."

"Which gets back to the _death duel_," Mr. Stark said. Jim found himself getting _really _nervous.

"Yes." Blinky sighed. "Master Jim… I did not… Make things completely clear about your first visit to Troll Market. There were many trolls who feared that a human trollhunter would reveal us, or that you had even found some way to subvert the amulet, and there were some who… felt that it would be best if the amulet went to another."

_But that would mean that I would…_

Blinky nodded. "The only way for that to happen would be for you to die. Vendel did not wish this—we had made peace with the humans and for a human, especially a _child's_ blood to be spilled… no. But Draal was enraged and the other trolls were fearful, which is why Bagdwella agreed to be the first to approach you, to prove that you could be trusted." He shook his head. "But the law allowed Draal to make the challenge and when you challenged him in turn, I did not believe he would have actually made it a _death_ challenge, but I underestimated how much his grief and anger would rule him."

_And if I screwed up…_ Jim rubbed his tight throat. "So it was a show?" He said, and suddenly hated how small his voice was.

"What? _No._ You risked death. Bagdwella's test was real and for even greater stakes than you knew."

"Oh."

"And the amulet cannot be removed until he dies?" Captain America said.

"No," Blinky replied.

"So what? Jim here gets to fight until his arthritis slows him down?" Tony put his hands on the table in front of Blinky. "That's not acceptable."

"Jim's got a life, it shouldn't just be fighting," Hawkeye said. "That's not a good way to live."

"I—I'm sorry," Jim said, looking at Toby for a moment. "I know I've screwed up a lot, but I've also done good. When Bular was about to open the Killahead Bridge, Arcadia would have been invaded if I hadn't have killed—"

"Wait." Fury's voice was absolutely toneless. "You've had to _kill_ trolls?"

* * *

"And then I found out that my _baby brother_ was a changeling, and we almost got killed," Claire was in the diagnostic bed, Natasha finishing up her work. Getting her to talk was…

Easy. _Mainly because she's a sixteen-year-old girl who only has two human confidants, both of them male_. Claire had wanted to talk to someone else, and it had been easy to calm her down and get her chatting, leading from Toby's obsession with Nouget Nummies to more important information.

Including that Walter Stricklander was a changeling, he had an immortal assassin at his beck and call, and _Claire_ had managed to steal her staff from said assassin. Apparently Claire had a habit of trying high-risk/high-payoff strategies which explained her stunt with Tony.

But Natasha still came back to the fact that she and Clint had spoken to, worked with Stricklander, and he had _never _triggered her warning senses. He was a _perfect_ copy of what a human would be, down to evidently needing dental work done.

And that was pretty scary.

It also explained why the kids were so hair-trigger paranoid. If Natasha had known what she knew now, she _never_ would have approached them in the way she had.

"Jim promised to get him, but we don't have the last stone yet, and we need that to open the bridge so we can go into the Darklands to get my Enrique. I mean, Not Enrique is nice, and he's been helping us, but…" Claire closed her eyes and tears that had nothing to do with her injuries ran down her cheeks. "I want my baby brother back. I know they say he's sleeping, but what if he has nightmares? What if he _knows_ he's not with us? I—"

"We'll get him back, but I'm thinking the three of you invading a realm with its own army might not be…" _Nothing other than a dramatic form of suicide? And maybe your oh-so friendly baby changeling has been encouraging you to commit said suicide, since you're the only ones who know about him?_

"I know, but what else can we do?" Claire shuddered. "Gunmar already wants Jim, after he killed his son and…" Natasha leaned back, teasing more information out of Claire, while quickly typing down on her pad, sending the most important details to Fury.

FURY. CLAIRE'S BROTHER ACTUALLY A SHAPECHANGED TROLL. DETAIN AT ONCE.

And of course Claire and her friends probably hadn't even considered that having two conversations was giving them a great way to ferret out inconsistencies in their information.

_Teens._ They'd been good at keeping secrets from their parents. But Natasha was in the business of learning secrets and smart as she was, in that arena Claire was out of her league.


	10. Fury Rants, Jim Cooks and Tony plots

The kids and trolls were out of the room, and Fury didn't have to restrain himself as he let out a string of curses. Then, he took a deep breath and turned to the others. "I've told the pilot to delay, but we've only got about twenty minutes to come up with a plan before their parents land on our heads."

"Put Junior in a box for one thing," Tony said. "Banner and I can get to work on a changeling detector and he can be the guinea pig."

"We already have one method of detecting them." Fury pointed out. The Gaggletack had been put in a box with a bunch of useless lights. Four security guards had already passed its test, and they would cycle the rest of the helicarrier's complement through.

"A test that we have a troll and kid's word for," Tony said. "I'm not convinced."

"Tony's got a point," Steve said. "All you'd have to do would be to sacrifice one changeling and then everyone would trust in it and let you pass agents through at will. Thor, what do you know about this?"

The Asgardian frowned. "The technique is not unknown to my people. I would trust the Gaggletack, for now."

"And their allergy to sunlight?" Fury asked.

"That I could not tell you much about," Thor replied. "Perhaps Heimdall or a scholar could. We are not the only workers of what you call magic."

"Could we even detect them, short of testing everyone?" Natasha said. "If they're right, and the kids are telling the truth as they know it, Changelings are literally inserted from infanthood. There's no papertrail to track."

"Yeah," Clint agreed. "But if they live a long time and they do, there will have to be breaks in it—fake deaths and reinserting them into society. We _can_ track that."

"It'll take time, but as soon as we verify that our IT staff are all human, they can get started crunching the data." _And hopefully solve this._ If Arcadia was the core of troll civilization, Fury had a bad idea that he might be dealing with idiots who saw it as a problem easily fixed for the cost of a single American city. An entire _civilization_ would be raising all kinds of alarm.

Which meant that it would be best if they could present the higher ups with a _solved_ problem.

"Sir?"

Fury hit a stud. "What?"

"The kid, Lake? We sent them to a lounge like you ordered us and he's using the kitchen. Is that…" Fury shook his head. Normally it'd be the kind of question that _didn't_ get to him, but given the amount of weirdness they'd been seeing, worrying that a kid would be able to whip up a doomsday muffin wasn't something you could necessarily dismiss. But he had the kid's measure. "It's fine. Anything else?"

"The trolls would like more foil and forks."

"Make certain they have it."

"Which brings up another problem. What do we do with the kids?" Tony asked. "Beyond get that amulet off of Jim."

"Do we have the right?" Thor asked. "It chose him, and they are all valiant warri—"

"No. Kids do not get to be valiant warriors. They get to worry about acne and first dates. Not Death." Tony glared at Thor, not backing down in the slightest.

Fury remained silent. There was a highly classified psych survey that existed in only one copy, about Tony Stark. Stark wasn't arguing with them. He was talking to Dr. Ho Yinsen and the shades of his family.

"That may be beyond our power," Steve quietly said. "They've had to kill. All of them. They've faced death. You know that leaves a mark, Tony."

"Yeah, and I'll pay for their _shrink_." Tony looked around. "But it doesn't mean that they have to _keep doing it_."

"An artifact like the amulet may very well be part of the workings of fate," Thor quietly said. Tony snorted.

"And we may need their skills," Bruce added, reluctantly, "If Jim is the only one who can open the Bridge, then he'll be vital to any rescue mission, not to mention Claire and Toby." He shrugged. "They work well together."

"I—"

Steve cut Tony off. "Nobody is talking about letting them go in on their own, Tony, but trust me, having someone tell you you're _not good enough_ can do a lot of damage."

"To say nothing that they're likely to go behind our backs, or at least try," Natasha said. "I think they'd be very willing to ask for forgiveness rather than permission."

"I'll get started working on the fetch," Bruce said. Blinky had brought the tool with him, preferring to keep it on his person rather than in Trollmarket, and that said _all sorts_ of things for the security situation down there, and it was sitting in a reinforced vault.

"Yeah…" Tony tapped his chin. "They said that Claire's magic staff couldn't get into the Darklands, but I wonder…"

"What?" Steve asked.

"Keys and keyholes, Captain, keys and keyholes." He turned to Bruce. "Ready to science some magic?"

"I'm always ready for a non-violent challenge," Bruce said.

"Good. We'll collect the kids and I'll let you deal with the parents."

Fury snorted. Stark always loved to dump the hard work on someone else.

* * *

Jim cooked when he was nervous.

He was really cooking now, a second course forming under his hands. The SHIELD guards were being professional, but a couple of other crewmen had stopped and Jim had offered them some of the food.

"How did you do this?" one man asked. "The eggs never taste this good."

"You can't just put the spices on them after they're done," Jim said. "You've gotta mix them in."

Claire smiled from where she was sitting, a crutch by her side and her ankle in a light-weight cast. She had bruises on her face and running over her arms, but then, so did Jim, except he'd been wearing armor. "You'll never go wrong with Jim's cooking."

"Got that right," Toby said. "Jim's been cooking since I've known him."

"Indeed, Master Jim was even able to create some recipes for the trolls," Blinky supplied.

A guard looked at Jim. "Oh? How'd they taste?"

"I don't know, but being that part of the mix was arsenic and battery acid…" Jim's voice trailed off.

"Pass," the guard said quickly.

Jim smiled. He liked cooking. He'd like to be cooking for Claire, with nobody in here so they could talk and cuddle a little, but he doubted that was going to happen.

Then the door shot open and Tony Stark and Bruce Banner came walking in. "So, Thor-light, when you're finished cooking, wanna come down with Hamlet-Lass and Hammertime? Banner and I think we may have a way to get your kids out of the Darklands, _without_ opening the door to an invasion."

Jim finished the last course. "Done. If you guys want it, you can have it," he told the guards.

"Dibs."

"Good skill," Mr. Stark said. "You want to be a professional cook?"

"I don't know," Jim said. "I learned to cook for mom, and I figured I should get good at it… But I don't know." He laughed. "Right now, my goals have changed. I just wanna survive to graduate."

"We're working on that."

"What about Mr. Stricklander?" Claire asked.

"Nobody got close to our little fight," Mr. Banner said. "We're keeping watch but given what you said about his body guard and the binding spell with Jim's mother, we don't want to risk tipping him off."

"Oh." Jim hunched over. _Right. Mom's coming. _

"But Mr. Stark," Claire said. "How can I help? The staff won't get me into the darklands."

"Indeed it will not," Blinky said.

"But the fetch will," Mr. Stark said. "Except that it's too small a gate for an adult to fit through it. So tell me, how big a tunnel do you need to get from point a to point b with the staff?"

"I—what?" Claire asked.

"You can teleport through a wall, right? But you can't get to the Darklands because there's no way to breach the gap."

"Yes."

"And the fetch opens a _hole_ between the two realities. Why can't you just go through the hole?"

"I…" Claire fell silent.

"It can't be that simple…" Jim breathed.

"You mean you could use the fetch _and_ the staff to get into the darklands?" Toby grinned. "That's awesome!"

"God, I feel stupid," Claire moaned.

"That happens a lot to people who are around me," Mr. Stark said.

"But it may not work," Mr. Banner cautioned.

"Which is why we're on our way to the lab. I hope you kids ate all you needed, because you're about to enjoy a Tony Stark/Bruce Banner marathon."


	11. Meet the Parents

Barbara couldn't imagine what was going on. Arrested? She'd been afraid that might happen, especially after the museum, but put on an aircraft, and taken to the largest ship she'd ever seen? By SHIELD?

_Jim, what have you done?_

The corridors were full of men, some armed, and Ophelia and Javier were looking nervous, Enrique fussing in his blanket.

And then they came to a conference room, and in it…

_Doctor's do not squeal like little girls,_ Barbara reminded herself. But when you came face to face with Captain America and Thor…

Part of her had wondered if they were being played up, but looking at them, she understood why half the girls at her son's school had Thor posters.

He looked, well, like a god.

But he wasn't at the head of the table. A bald man with an eyepatch and a commanding presence was.

"Dr. Lake, Mr. And Mrs. Nunez, I'm Director Fury,"

"Director, what is wrong? We were told it involved our children!" Ophelia said. "Where is Claire?"

"Right now, in the lab with Dr. Banner and Tony Stark. She's okay, and just suffered some minor injuries when she and her friends fought the Avengers."

Wait. What?

_Fought the Avengers? This is a joke, this has to be a joke—_

"You want to see if we know what our children were doing." Ophelia was staring at Fury. "Well, I can tell you, that we have no idea why they've been behaving so oddly, but that joke wasn't in good taste."

"Not a joke, I'm afraid," the lithe woman sitting next to Captain America said. "We have footage."

The next several moments were more terrifying than anything Barbara had seen before. Her son. Her son in armor. Her son in armor next to a rock creature _fighting Captain America._

Then Javier gasped as it cut to a wildly jittering image, possibly from some remote vehicle, showing a hole in space opening up over Iron Man, Claire coming out, trying to grab him, failing, and falling out of frame with a scream while Iron Man dove after her.

The short video ended with them clustered together, Jim looking terrified as the Black Widow helped to resocket Claire's arm.

Barbara winced at that. Her doctor's mind listed the number of bruises Claire and Jim had and came up very unhappy.

"Where was Tobypie?" Toby's grandmother asked.

"Threatening to fight me," Thor said. "Your grandson is a valiant warrior."

"Why—why would they do this?" Ophelia asked. "What were those tools?"

"Well, about that," Captain America said.

Five minutes later, Barbara was certain she was going to wake up. Jim was some mythical warrior? He'd almost been killed? He'd _killed_ people? Claire had a magic staff? Toby a hammer? All the bruises, all the…

"He could have been killed," Barbara softly said. "He could have been killed and I would never have known." She felt herself breathing faster. Jim could have gone walking out the door like his father and never came back like his father. A casual farewell would have been the last words she had—or worse yet, her giving him the silent treatment could have been her last memory of her _son._ A prickling sensation ran up and down her spine, the lights started to fade out, as her breath started coming faster and faster...

_Panic attack. _The thought was oddly calm_._ There were people talking to her, Ophelia and Javier, then someone in a uniform flashing a penlight in her eyes.

"I'm… I'm okay. I just, I just remembered when my husband vanished and…" Barbara brushed her eyes clear and leaned back. "I'm sorry."

"No, Director Fury should have considered that before hitting you with this," Captain America said. "But I'm afraid that this is… Well, we're pressed for time."

"So soon after the Chitauri, people could react poorly if news of this gets out before we're prepared to confirm the situation is solved," Fury said. "Especially given the number of American citizens who have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? I would have known." Ophelia fell silent. Everyone else was looking at her and Javier with deep sympathy.

"Ms. Nunez, could you put your child on the table?" Ophelia blinked and did so. Enrique giggled and waved a chubby hand. "Several of my agents suggested we do this the easy way, but I don't have time, and I _do_ have a Gaggletack. Also, your _sister_ told us everything about you, NotEnrique. Do we need to bring out the magic?" For a moment the parents stared, confused, and then there was a flash, and in the place of the child was a hideous, green and blue… _Thing._

Ophelia cried out, and stood up, Javier doing the same. For a moment the creature looked like it was about to flee, then looked around the room, specifically at Thor.

"Sis told you?"

"Yes." Fury frowned. "And she _told_ us that you were helping them. But you're older and I have to wonder—you had a pretty sweet gig, especially if everyone who knew died—"

"Don't you even start!" The creature said. "Sis may be an annoying big-eyed know it all, but I wouldn't hurt her!"

"Where is my baby!" Ophelia demanded, looking like she was about to launch herself at the small troll.

"Safe." NotEnrique looked around. "Sleeping. Kiddos don't age in the Darklands."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better!?" Opheila said.

"Compared to the alternative? Yeah. Not all kids who go through a fetch end up as changelings. Sometimes Gunmar orders takeout. It's not like _I_ had a choice. Believe me, they'd kill me as soon as look at me."

"I'm not feeling sympathetic," Hawkeye said.

"My—how long?" Javier asked.

"About three months," Notenrique said.

"How—my own child…" Ophelia was nearly as pale as Barbara had gone.

"Yeah, Sis said you'd respond like that. That's why she never told you—cried a lot about it though. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to go and wake her up before she got into a screaming nightmare. She don't deserve that." The changeling sagged. "Look, we got a plan. It's not a good plan, but it might work—"

"As in committing suicide?" Captain America asked. "I heard their plan. We're changing it." Enrique looked around, smiled.

"Yeah, that might be a better idea, now that you lot are here."

"But that's not the only problem. Your son…" Captain America looked directly at Barbara. "Doctor Lake, there's no easy way of saying this, but Walter Stricklander is also a changeling. He's been using you against your son."

"That—are you certain?"

"Have you ever suffered any injuries you cannot explain, Lady Barbara?" Thor asked.

"A few cuts, papercuts and things like that, lately, but…"

"The foul changeling put a binding upon you to protect himself from your son. Whatever injuries he suffers, you suffer." Thor's voice had no amusement in it. "He has held your son prisoner through his fear for what might happen to you."

Barbara closed her eyes, shook her head, as suddenly the pieces started falling into place. Innocent comments, Jim's hostility, odd bruises…

"Sorry, Lady, but the big guy has it right," NotEnrique said.

"God," she whispered. "I tell Jim I trust him, I _have_ trusted him for all of his life, and this—this last year I've been threatening him, criticizing him, angry with him and he was—THAT FUCKING BASTARD, I'LL KILL HIM. I'LL KILL HIM TWICE!" Barbara clinched her hands so tightly that she drew blood.

"And we are going to do exactly that," Fury said.

"I bet you will," Ophelia replied. She was still pale, but then looked up at Fury. "Do we pass?"

"What?" Barbara asked.

"I wouldn't think the Avengers are cruel," Ophelia said quietly, and then pointed at Notenrique. "That was cruel—or you wanted to put us off balance so you could read us."

"Your political record doesn't do you justice," Fury said. "But I can't _take_ chances in this situation. Literally millions of lives depend on it. Let's finish up here and we'll go talk to your children."


	12. Plans and Meetings

"We tried timing it with a stopwatch," Toby said. "But that didn't work…"

"So then, Claire came up with the idea of dropping a flashlight into one portal while we were filming it with a phone, so we could try and see if there was a delay," Jim added.

"Good thought, but you'd need a lot more exact measurements than that to see if we're talking lightspeed, FTL or just near light speed," Mr. Stark said.

They were standing in a room that looked like a lab—a lab from Gun Robot, that was. Claire was holding her staff out, a small box on the table in front of her. At the far end of the lab there was a target mark. On the other side of the room, Dr. Banner was fiddling with the fetch.

"Okay, ready?" Mr. Stark asked.

Claire nodded. Moments later, the box fell into a portal, to appear over the target mark. Mr. Stark frowned, checked the equipment.

"Well, bad news, the equipment here isn't exact enough to tell if you're blowing past light speed." Mr. Stark said.

"Thirty feet would be hard at the best of time," Dr. Banner added.

"Oh ye of little faith. Hey, have you three ever thought about visiting Avenger's Tower?" Tony grinned. "Best labs in the world, fully catered meals, not that you need help making good food," he added, glancing at the sandwich Jim had whipped up. "In addition to luxury suites, Olympic swimming pool and—"

"Chaperones, I presume?"

Jim went cold. Claire turned pale, looking over his shoulder.

Which probably wasn't a good idea, because it _really_ brought out the bruises mottling her face and arms against the white of the clothes she'd found to replace her ripped clothing.

Jim turned around. There was no sense in waiting, in putting off his doom.

"Mama?" Claire squeaked.

"Hey sis," NotEnrique said, waving from… _Thor's shoulder?_ "Sorry, but the scary one-eyed dude didn't give me much of a choice."

"Indeed he did not, small one," Thor said.

There, standing in the doorway was his mother, Claire's parents and Toby's Nana, along with the rest of the Avengers.

But the Avenger's probably weren't going to kill him and then ground him.

"Mom…"

"I heard the whole story," Barbara quietly said.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't—I didn't—"

"The _whole_ story, Jim. Including the part about how Wal—how _Stricklander_ was using me against you. When I was supposed to be supporting you, I was making things _worse_." Suddenly Jim found himself enfolded in a fierce hug. Barbara whispering into his ear. "Oh Jim, I am so sorry." Jim felt awkward for a moment, then reached back and hugged his mom. It had only been a few months since he'd become Trollhunter, but it felt like forever since he could talk to her.

"I'm sorry as well, Mom."

Next to him, Claire was being enfolded by her parents.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you Claire," Ophelia said. "I'm sorry about what you've had to shoulder."

"I—I'm." Claire shook her head, then blinked as Ophelia pulled back.

"But we'll have to have a long talk when all of this is over."

"Mama?"

"You didn't feel comfortable coming to us, and I didn't notice. About you. About my own son. I think we need to talk, as a family, after this."

"Hey Nana," Toby said. "I'm sort of sorry about not telling the truth about our exchange student?"

"Arthur-san?" Nana asked, and suddenly Jim had the disturbing thought that she didn't sound _nearly_ as dotty as she usually did. "That's okay, Tobypie. You were helping your friends." She smiled. "Your father and mother would be so proud they'd burst." Toby swallowed at that, hard, then hugged his nana.

"But first," Blinky said, from the corner he and Arrrggghhh had been exiled to after accidentally breaking a piece of equipment that according to Mr. Stark, cost more than Arcadia. "We must recover the child."

Jim really tried not to snicker at the sign Tony had put in the corner, reading "Big Troll's Time Out Corner."

"No," Tony said. "We are going to recover _every_ kid."

Jim found himself grinning as he slowly disentangled himself from his mother's hug. _I never thought we could figure out a way to get them all._ That had worn on Jim, thinking about all the infants in that dark place, even if they weren't hurting, never being allowed to grow up, to live. Three kids couldn't save the whole day…

But three kids plus the _Avengers?_

"I like that idea," he finally said. Next to him, Claire and Toby were grinning.

"I like it as well," his girlfriend said.

* * *

Claire hadn't realized just how much she'd been beaten down until she'd spoken to Natasha.

And that was strange, being told to call her Natasha. But now they had people who knew, their parents knew.

And the world hadn't ended.

And suddenly the tightness, the feeling of how wrong it was to lie to her parents, literally every time she saw them, never letting on about trolls or Enrique or how terrified she was…

It was gone. And Claire had never realized how wonderful that feeling was.

And it was time to listen to Tony's idea.

"Okay, here's the thing," he said. "First problem, we only have a tiny gap into the Darklands. But solution, we're going to use the magic staff and send something through."

"Tony, the scans and probes aren't showing anything other than a fog," Mr. Banner said. "I don't think this dimension extends that far above ground.

"There are stories that it floats in an endless sea, but…" Blinky shrugged. "None have ever been able to verify that. This is incredible."

"So what, the Darklands are like Earth?" Jim asked.

"Maybe," Thor replied. "But it may be that the fog is a… metaphorical concept."

"And good for our test, since we don't want anyone to notice this. Okay, Hamlet, do your best."

Claire looked at the fetch, then at the sensor drone that Tony was setting up.

"I've gotta try to push it through," she said. "This works best with negative emotions—"

"It does?" Thor frowned. "That is dangerous, Lady Claire."

"I… I know, and Angor Rot doesn't have a problem using it, but I can't exactly ask him," Claire said.

"Still, you should be cautious," Thor warned.

"Amen to that," Banner added. "Fetch is ready, all sensors operational. "

"Right…" Claire took deep breaths, then closed her eye. She wanted it to go through the middle of the fetch, but to the _other_ side, the side in the Darklands… She focused. It was hard, and took longer than her normal portals. There was a moment of stress, and then, the probe vanished into a portal, and beeping started up.

"Got it!" Tony said. "Two-hundred pound probe, two feet wider than the fetch and you sent it into another dimension. He raised his hand, and Claire gave it a light clap.

It was a little harder to do that than she thought. He was Tony _Stark!_

"But how do we find the kids?" Toby asked. "We were sticking our heads though the place and it went on forever."

"Well," Tony replied. "The probe is saying that the environment is suitable to radio signals, which means…" He touched a stud and a tiny, disk shaped device appeared. "We'll be using these. They have sensors and a wireless repeater. Originally they had a shaped-charge because they were supposed to be for killing infantry, but I don't make that anymore, so they were easy enough to repurpose for disaster relief. I've got my people shipping a few thousand here, so…"

"You use them to map the Darklands," Claire said. "Holy sh—guacamole, we would know _exactly_ where to go!"

"If they work," Captain America said.

"And then…" Tony smiled and touched a stud. The hologram derezzed and showed baby baskets floating out next to a portal, an image of Claire waving her staff. "We bring the kids back and of course, resolve Gunmar." The next image was of a cartoony Gunmar, surrounded by equally cartoony forms of Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk, who reduced him to a rock pile. "Sorry for the theatrics," he said with a smile. "I had a few minutes to kill."

_Sorry?_ Claire snorted. _Not in a million years. _She had just met Tony Stark, but she knew one thing. He was _all_ about the theatrics.


	13. Say Hi, Stricklander!

Clint had gotten used to being, along with Natasha, the light weight in the group. Some people, he knew, expected him to try and show that he was just as good as Cap.

Well, he was, with an arrow. Better. But hand to hand? Cap was a legend for a reason. Thor was a god, Iron Man ran around with enough firepower to level a building, and Hulk… Well, Hulk was Hulk. Natasha and Clint's skills ran in other directions.

Which is why they were back at the school, with Jim, Claire and Tony. The three had told them all about Stricklander's secret office hideyhole, and his pet assassin—but Angor Rot couldn't function in the day time. Stricklander couldn't pull out his troll form in daytime.

And they all had a place to be. Two subs, some kids and the whole school buzzing about the fireworks smugglers who blew up a truck. Fury was _very_ good at running covers, especially short term ones, and now that everyone on the helicarrier had touched the gaggletack, they knew that they were secure.

Clint could have done without the kids being there, however. Jim, Claire and Toby were _really _ pissed off at Stricklander, and they had direct, personal reasons to be. The fact that they knew that he was about to get his comeuppance might lead them to slip.

_On the other hand, they've been pretty good up to date._ Clint and Natasha had briefed them on what they were supposed to do, and they'd done it, having a screaming fight in the middle of PE. A fight that justified them, and Toby who had supposedly egged them on, being held after class.

_Of course, let's not get cocky_. It wasn't a normal snatch job when you absolutely _could not_ risk hurting the target.

"Mr. Stricklander," he said. "Thank heavens. I'm going to have to ask for your assistance!"

"We have substitutes to replace teachers," Stricklander said, looking down at Clint with a frown. "I expect you to handle things by yourself."

"It was a _severe_ fight," Clint said. "I really think Mr. Lake needs an authority figure he _respects_ to discuss it."

"Very well." Stricklander sighed. "On the back field?"

"Yes. I didn't feel bringing them into the building was appropriate in case they started arguing again." _And the field away from shade, so we neutralize your advantages, but you don't need to know that._ Clint carefully kept his face looking worried, but he wasn't surprised when Stricklander followed him. The school was where he was in charge, and where Jim wouldn't dare attack him, even ignoring his hold on Jim's mother.

Being in a safe space was hell on your situational awareness.

Clint led the changeling out back. He paused. "Mary, Shannon, you need to get to the front of school for the bus."

"But I was—"

"Now." Mary pouted and left, no doubt letting everyone know about Claire and Jim's fight.

_Just as planned. _ Who needed to make stories up when the kids would do it for them? Even better, now they had an excuse as to why the three wouldn't be interacting with their friends. Toby may have wanted "on the run from the Mafia" as a story, but "grounded forever" worked a lot better.

"You trashed my house!" Claire shouted, her face red.

"Yeah, well, I thought you said that was over, so why do you keep bringing it up!" Jim shouted back and his face was red.

Clint hoped that Stricklander didn't notice is was from embarrassment, not rage.

"Young Atlas!" Stricklander shouted. "Stop this at once! Or what would your mother say—pardon me, what _will_ she say when I drop by tonight."

_Okay, that's twisting the knife_. _Enjoy it while you can, sucker._

"I…I can't believe I ever liked you!" Claire said, "I should—"

"Don't you talk to Jim like that!" Toby said.

"Hey!" Natasha said as Claire pulled her hand back for a slap. "That's enough. Claire, come with me."

"But he—"

"_Now!_" Claire's shoulders slumped and she turned to walk back to the school with Natasha, the teen sniffling a little.

"Now, Young Atlas, what seems to be the problem?" Stricklander said.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, but we used to have such a close relationship. Still not upset about the fact that I am dating your mother? You honestly have enough issues with your behavior without adding that."

"Yeah, actually I'm pretty upset at that," Jim said, and put one foot forward. "In fact…"

"Jim, remember where you are and who you are with—" Stricklander said, evidently wondering if Jim was about to call his armor.

And in that moment, when he was focused on Jim, a portal opened under his feet.

"Wha—" his word was cut off as he vanished. Behind them, next to Natasha, Claire stood with her staff extended and a feral grin on her face.

"And _that's_ why I got the lead role in the play!" she said in a clear voice.

* * *

_Where am I—_Walter hit a metal floor, hard. Not Trollmarket, then. But where else would they place him?

"No matter, I can call Angor," he said, blinking and standing up. "And perhaps a discussion with Barbara about her son."

"Oh, I've _had_ that discussion, _Walter_." The voice was colder than he'd ever heard before. Stricklander turned, noticing a thick clear partition between him and a corridor, a corridor that looked like he was on a ship. Standing before him was Barbara, fury on her face, several men he didn't recognize and…

_Thor._ With that he realized who the other men were. The Avengers.

"Oh Dear," he said softly.

"So good of you to decide to join us," a tall African-American with an eyepatch said. "I have a _great deal_ to discuss with you."

"I assume you do," Stricklander said. _The Trollhunter has contacted the Avengers and Shield._ Stricklander had many years of experience with curse words, but he couldn't actually, now that the moment had come, find ones that properly described his predicament.


	14. Barbara and Walter

"How old are you, I wonder?" Nick Fury said.

Next to him, Barbara wished that they could open the cage so she could go in and pummel him. _I don't know what is worse—you had no idea, or you had every idea. _After her husband had left her, it had been Jim and Barbara, against the world. Stricklander had made her doubt her son when before he'd come into her life, she'd have been more likely to doubt herself than Jim.

"Oh, quite old," Stricklander said. "Why? Are you interested in such things?" When you had no other weapon, talk. Barbara knew some people like that. She didn't think it would work on Fury.

"He's been on earth since the 1800s," Notenrique said.

"Turning on your own?" Stricklander said. "How… Expected. What did they promise you? Safety?"

"More'n you could have," Notenrique said.

"I presume that this is about Ms. Nunez's child?" Stricklander asked. He walked up and lightly brushed the glass as Ophelia surged forward, prevented from hitting the glass by her own husband. "But without the bridge, you cannot reach the children, and I cannot help you with that. Only the trollhunter can open the Bridge and it is no longer intact." Stricklander paused. "Or rather, the trolls have it, and I expect they won't react well to asking to open it to Gunmar and his hordes for one small child." He smirked. "It appears that this has been a wasted trip, especially since you cannot hurt me…"

Barbara growled. For the first time in her life, she _growled. _

"Really, troll?" Thor asked. "Have you forgotten who I am? It may be that Lady Barbara and you would have to be taken to Asgard, but do you think your petty magic could gainsay the word of _Odin?_ He would protect the Lady Barbara, but as for you…" Thor looked at him like he was a particularly odious bug. "Those who would hide behind a warrior's mother to protect themselves merit no such attention."

"We are making our own plans to get the kids," Tony said. "We don't need you."

"But what we do need you for is to tell us about your Janus order, and of course your pet assassin." Fury nodded at his ring. He smiled. "Nice jewelry."

The mockery set Walter off. In a flash he turned to his troll form, roaring in fury and slashing his claws against the glass. Barbara stepped back, as did Javier and Ophelia, but the others remained still as the troll struck the glass.

To no avail.

"That cage is designed to hold the Big Guy," Bruce said, peering at Walter through his glasses. "I don't think you're getting through it."

"Then kill me and be done with it! But I can give Angor orders through this ring, and Arcadia will be full of bodies by next morning!"

"Maybe. But then I'll have no reason to make a deal with you," Fury said. "We're getting the kids, _all_ of them. And what _does_ that mean for your order?" His smile was cold.

And suddenly Walter was _absolutely still_.

Barbara knew why. According to Jim, most of the changelings lived out in the open, some of them living with mortal families who weren't aware of their nature, trusting in their disguise. If that changed…

_You'd be outed as monsters, even if you weren't killed by the sun. _

"Then why are you talking to me!" Walter snarled, and for the first time, Barbara felt she was hearing the _real_ emotion he was feeling.

Despair.

She might even feel sorry for him, we're it not for what he had done to her and Jim.

"Because I have a problem," Fury said, pacing around the cage. "The world is on edge, especially after the invasion of New York. People all over the world, turning into monsters? Especially people in positions of power, because I expect you've not been focusing on infiltrating the local book club… Well, that would create chaos and _I_ don't like chaos."

"And how can I prevent this chaos?"

"Help us get the identity of all the changelings," Captain America said. "We'll take them into custody before the recovery operation. SHIELD can work up believable stories."

"Go from servants of trolls who hate us, to imprisoned animals. Tell me, Director Fury, do you have a zoo picked out?"

"For you I might," Fury said. "I'd have a sign—Dangerous, do not feed—on the cage. Your people have spent God knows how many years infiltrating us, and unlike… another case, you're not running. Tell me, how many wars did you spark? How many people did you kill to keep your cover?"

"I—"

"The security guard at the Museum went missing several months ago, right before the capture of Killahead Bridge by the trollhunter," Captain America said. "Was your boss hungry?"

There was a silence. "Yes. And a hungry Bular would have been dangerous to me."

Barbara gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. She felt her gorge rise. _He sat there and wooed me and he had killed…_ She'd seen the guard once, one a trip with Jim. She barely remembered his face.

And he'd been killed and eaten.

And the way Walter said it, without even a hint of concern… The guard hadn't been the first. Walter didn't even have the excuse of _hating_ him. It had just been… convenient.

_Oh, God, Jim…_ Barbara knew now, that if it had ever been a choice between Walter's life and hers, he would have killed her without hesitation. And her son had been forced to live with that terror, knowing who Barbara was with, but unable to warn her. Or rather, he'd tried to warn her, and she'd been angry with him for it.

"We don't even let humans who murder wander around loose," Tony said.

"But perhaps you'll make an exception for me? After all, _Odin_ is not here right now, is he?" Walter smiled, and then slashed a claw down his arm. Barbara gasped in pain as a deep gash opened up on her forearm, blood dripping down it. "As a troll, I'm far more resistant to damage, and I can do a great deal short of killing Young Atlas' mother. Forgive me Barbara, I am fond of you, but given that my survival is at stake… Now, shall we discuss a… mutually acceptable deal?"

Ophelia was holding Barbara, but she shook her free and walked up to the glass, holding her wounded arm with her free hand, blood welling up between her fingers. _That's going to require stitches…_

"My labor when Jim was born was 12 hours. When I was 22 I broke my arm and fractured two ribs in an auto accident." She stared up at the… _thing_ her heart had once thrilled to see. _Am I that bad at choosing men?_ "I've had pain. But sure, you can torture me, I bet you can drive me mad." Then she turned to Nick Fury. "Director Fury. This is my verbal medical directive, being of sound mind and body. You are to make no deals with Walter to prevent him from harming me. None. Ophelia, Javier, if Walter kills me or renders me… unfit, will you care for Jim?"

"We will," the two adults spoke almost in unison, their faces ashen. She bet they were also remembering that their daughter had fought this… changeling.

Then Barbara spun back around to face Walter. "You can hurt me, drive me insane, even kill me. But one thing you will _never_ do again is _use me against my son_. So do it now, or do what Director Fury wants, but _stop wasting my time!"_ With that, Doctor Barbara Lake turned to walk back to the others, waiting for the agony that she knew was coming.

But it didn't.


	15. Gems, Souls and Assassins

Jim and the others had been told to stay at school, and so they did. Jim found himself pacing in the empty classroom, Stricklander's office being off limits until it could be confirmed that there were no more booby traps.

"Understood," Natasha said. "Our people just finished going over the former principle's house. No sign of a body, but he vanished from sight right when Stricklander came back and hasn't been seen since."

"A changeling would have a lot of ways to get rid of a body," Claire said, looking ill. "But… Principal Levit wouldn't hurt a fly—why did…"

Natasha glanced at Clint and he nodded. Tony would give them hell for this, but the kids had been involved in a game where they really hadn't realized a lot of the stakes. It was time to explain it.

"Stricklander probably killed him because it was most convenient, not because he hated him," Clint said.

From their expressions they didn't get it.

_How could kids be this naive? _ The answer was immediate. _Because they haven't lived in this world, not like you. _ They were all middle class kids in a nice community where you never worried about Officer Friendly being on the local warlord's take. They hadn't had it rubbed in their faces, and she wished that she could spare them, but they had to understand, because Stricklander and the changelings would use their ignorance against them. "Stricklander doesn't hate you three, probably doesn't even hate _you_, Jim. He didn't hate Principle Levit. People like him, don't get that personal. He removed Levit because Levit was an obstacle."

"And combine that with how old he is, and he's had a lot of practice at getting used to killing people." Clint said. "There's been a lot of unsolved missing persons cases, especially in this area. Nobody ever really linked them because they went back decades, but changelings live for hundreds of years…"

"I can see killing someone because you hate them or because they are threatening you—I killed Bular because he wouldn't stop…" Jim shook his head. "But like you'd squash a bug?"

"I hope you never do," Natasha said. _But you will_, her glance to Clint said. The kids were involved, and even if the changelings went away tomorrow, they weren't the type to close their eyes, and open eyes showed a side of the world few people enjoyed looking at…

She shook her head and then stopped as her earbud squawked.

"Out back. Thor's incoming with the ring."

Once outside, they waited until Thor grounded. It might be dangerous, but few people could see behind the school, Thor didn't take long to hit the ground, and most importantly, the people of Arcadia seemed to have internalized 'mind your own business'.

Natasha had a bad feeling that it was a survival trait in this town. Fury was probably going to have half the local intelligence staff canned over how they had missed that—after they verified there were no changelings in the mix. They had cleared the carrier, but SHIELD was an awfully big organization.

"The ring," he said. For once, Thor didn't sound full of bluff cheer. The ring was in a box and he looked at Jim. "You offered to return the ring to Angor Rot?"

"I did… It was sort of a forced agreement."

"We should anyway, even if we kill the troll," Thor said. He looked at the others. "To lose his soul—this is an abomination, and the sorceress who did this dabbled with evil that hopefully none of you will ever see. I am amazed that Angor Rot is still sane—at all. To exist for all these years with that gnawing hole…" The Asgardian shook his head. "Where shall we meet him?"

"He said he would know where I am—we meet in the sewers. It's still day and that way there won't be any civilians to worry about."

"Good point," Clint said.

Thor smiled. "You are a brave warrior—all of you are but when your mother compelled the changeling to submit and give us the ring, I knew that I should not have been surprised that Eitri's handiwork choose you."

"Wait—_Mom?" _Jim said.

"The whole tale can wait until we return," Thor said. "With some ale to speed the telling."

"Ale for _some _of us," Clint said, giving Thor a pointed look. "Especially since you just reminded us that we shouldn't underestimate Dr. Lake."

"We'd better go," Jim said. "I don't know how long it will take Angor to find us—or if he's watching us already."

And with that cheery thought, the group headed for the sewers.

* * *

Jim was nervous. The sewer was wide but dark and Jim wondered if Angor was watching them already. The last time they'd fought… Angor had _beaten him_. He could have taken his head off in the gym, while Jim was lost in a nightmare.

And the only reason he hadn't was that Jim could get him something he needed. His gem.

_His soul. _They'd known about it, but the way Thor had talked—the revulsion in his voice, like they were holding something…

"Thor," Jim said.

"Yes?"

"You said it was an abomination… Would it explain why Angor…"

"Is Angor?" Toby asked.

Thor paused. "Imagine you see your mother. But you feel nothing. You know you should. But you do not, you cannot. Flowers, the love of your life, the little hobbies you once treasured. All gone. You remember what they _should_ feel like. You _burn_ to taste that pleasure, even for a moment, but you cannot." Thor paused. "Even the Frost Giants do not dabble with such dark sorceries."

Jim closed his eyes. "I understand."

"Trollhunter…" The growl sounded down the corridor. Black Widow and Hawkeye pulled out their weapons. Thor held his hammer at the ready.

"Angor Rot." Jim stood steady. He held the box with the ring in it. If _Thor_ wouldn't touch it, he wasn't about to.

"You have allies, Trollhunter," Angor glanced over at Black Widow and Hawkeye, then at Thor. "An Asgardian. I have not seen your like since long before I was entombed."

"I am Thor," Thor said. "Jim told us of your battles, and how you nearly defeated him when his mind was not his own. If you wish a more challenging fight…" He hefted his hammer.

Angor's chuckle was like an avalanche. "Had I meant to kill him, I would have. But we struck an arrangement."

"The ring for breaking the binding spell," Jim said. "I'll give you the ring, but after that, I want you to listen to me."

Angor tilted his head.

"Jim…" Claire whispered. "What are you thinking?"

Jim said nothing, handing the box to Angor. The troll stared at it.

"So long…" Then he held it up, chanting in a strange tongue that didn't sound like Trollish. The humans and Asgardian backed up slightly as the gem started gleaming, the metal of the ring turning red, melting through the box and onto Angor's hand. He didn't seem to notice. Then the gem _shattered_, and a glowing golden orb rose up, before it swirled around his head and flowed into his body.

Jim was about to open his mouth when an explosion of light dazzled his eyes. Orbs, dozen of blueish orbs flew from Rot's body.

_Free…_

_Thank you, Trollhunter…_

_Farewell…_

Those words and more were whispered as the orbs flew away.

_The lost trollhunters…_ Jim thought. The joy, the relief in their voices was like nothing he'd ever heard before. He raised one hand to his cheek, felt moisture. Claire and Toby were in a similar state, and to his surprise, so were Hawkeye and Black Widow.

Thor had smiled and raised his hammer in salute and farewell.

Angor took a deep breath, then turned to look at Jim, seeming to be more alive than Jim had ever seen him before.

"Speak, Trollhunter."

Jim took a breath. He hadn't cleared this with the Avengers. He hadn't even thought of it before Thor had spoken to him. But now… "Blinky told me your story, how you sought to protect your people, how you fought Gunmar, before you were cursed. You aren't cursed anymore."

"No."

"Stricklander is in custody of SHIELD and he won't be getting out. But after we rescue Enrique and the others…" Jim took a deep breath. "I really don't think our parents are gonna be okay with us keeping fighting for the rest of high school." He felt Claire and Toby twitch in surprise next to him. _And do I really want to?_ He liked Blinky, liked Trollmarket, but the fighting? Not so much. _And once Gunmar's gone, I bet a bunch of them will remember that in Troll years, we're barely past needing diapers. _Jim wanted a normal life with his friends, at least until he graduated. "They'll need someone else to protect them, someone who is old enough to have their respect."

Angor's chuckle was deep. "I am a nightmare, a tale told to troll whelps. What makes you think I would be accepted?"

"I'm a 16 year old human. I _was_ accepted."

Angor paused, becoming so still that for a moment Jim wondered if he hadn't noticed the sun striking him.

"You are wise, Trollhunter—and well named. This will not be the end of your story, but…" Angor tilted his head. "I will give your words consideration. But regardless, I _will_ teach your consort how to better wield the staff she claimed and the magic that comes with it. It is dangerous for the untrained."

Next to Jim, Claire was blushing at the word 'consort'.

So was Jim.

"Can we trust him?" Black Widow said.

"The Trollhunter comes with the Odinson. Do you think I am so eager to throw my life away moments after regaining it?" Angor said. "But first, I will undo the binding. I would not… _Delay_ your people's ability to discuss matters with the changeling."

From his smile, Jim came to a conclusion: Even with his soul, Angor Rot was a scary, scary, troll.


	16. Interludes, Interrogations, Experiments

"Quickly, quickly!" Otto ordered. "Gather what we can, and destroy the rest!"

"Grand Commandant, why?"

"The Pale Lady has warned us," Otto said, pointing to the phonograph. It had started up the night before and hadn't stopped and he'd finally managed to decipher her message. "Stricklander had betrayed us and powers greater than the Trollhunter are coming for us."

"But our base—where shall we go?"

"You have your dispersal orders, yes?"

"Yes!"

"Then go!"

Otto turned and ignored the panic. The important materials had already been removed, and the computers destroyed. It was time for him to leave, to meet their ally.

Or rather the fellow servant of Gunmar.

Moments later, he was out of the base, through one of the hidden access ways to the sewers, sewers far more complex and large than Arcadia needed. Another few turns and he was at another hidden door, and standing in front of it, three looming figures, glowing tattoos marking their bodies.

"My Lady," Otto said.

"Don't waste my time _impure_," Ursurna said. "Why did you call me?"

"The humans have captured Stricklander and we have information that they have summoned aid. I have ordered the dispersal of the our forces."

"And what do you expect _me_ to do?"

"Aid us, in the service of our mutual overlord," Otto said. "The world is changing. You saw the invasion of the fleshbag city. The return of the Asgardians. We must be prepared to strike fast, and you…"

"What?"

"The Trollhunter, nor his friends, are anywhere to be seen. I think they have betrayed his oath, betrayed trollkind to the human warriors—they and their troll allies.

"And you think that would benefit us how?"

Otto smiled. "Why, my queen! If the Trollhunter was exiled from Trollmarket, or sentenced to death would it not show that he had failed? He has already angered Gatto, surely you could find others among the council that would support you, and in such an environment, things that were never possible to say before might be said again, for without the Trollhunter, with humanity pressing again…"

"Only Gunmar could protect us." Usurna nodded. "I will think of this, impure. But you are overly arrogant"—quick as a flash, one of her guard pinned Otto to the floor—"so remember your _place."_

"Of course, my queen," Otto said, coughing as he was allowed to stand up. "The Janus Order is well aware of its place in the world…"

* * *

Usurna waited until the impure had left. Impure, always plotting. Always planning, always believing that they were something more than _tools_.

Tools, which it seemed, had lost their utility.

But even tools sometimes had the right idea. She and her guards returned to Trollmarket, and Usurna listened to the undertone of fear. The Trollhunter was gone.

_And when you find out he has betrayed you?_ She let no hint of her satisfaction touch her face. The council would attempt to imprison or kill the fleshbag and the reaction of the humans would prove Gunmar right…

But first, it was time to contact him. Fetches were rare, treasures beyond price. But she was a _queen_ and there was little beyond her reach.

"I will be in my quarters," she told the guard. "Let none disturb me."

_I have much to share with our Underlord…_

* * *

"I still wish Vendel were here," Blinky said. He'd been waiting, on pins and needles (and why did humans have such an expression?) as it were, until the Trollhunter and his friends had returned.

He was happy they were back. He did indeed like Barbara and Claire's parents were intelligent and wise…

But the grilling he'd been receiving about why he felt it was appropriate to keep the trollhunters' missions from them had become…

Uncomfortable.

"So, Draal gave my son this… Grit-Shaka," Barbara said.

"To aid him in calming himself before meeting the Lady-some friends of his." Blinky said with a smile.

The parents weren't returning it.

"And in trolls, it was used to… banish fear."

"Yes," Blinky said. "But…"

"But it had a different effect on the kid," the Man of Iron said.

"Er, yes, but are you a mage? How did you—"

"Oh, let's see, Trolls have a completely different biology, if you_ have_ a biology, I bet your brains don't look anything like human brains, and you handed the magic version of combat drugs to a _fifteen year old kid_."

Blinky was beginning to decide that he didn't like the Man of Iron.

"Even if it worked, that kind of confidence boost would be dangerous," the bespectacled man said in his diffident manner. Blinky had no idea why so many common soldiers gave him such a wide berth.

"Yes, well, Jim did attempt… To seek out Bular and kill him. Fortunately, he escaped with his life—And here he is!" Blinky said, turning to the door as it opened, and the trollhunters…

As well as Angor Rot walked in, both Avengers and normal guards around him.

Normally Blinky would be terrified of the assassin, likely because every other time he'd seen him he'd been trying to murder them.

In this case, however, it was a welcome distraction from his interrogation.

"So." Barbara looked up at the intimidating assassin. "You made the spell."

"Yes."

"Can you break it?"

Angor tilted his head, looking down at her. "It will be painful. It would be best to have a book of sorcery in Stricklander's possession, but even so, the sorcery was never intended to be broken. "

"What was it used for?" Angor glanced at the bespectacled man speaking to him and immediately backed up, hand dropping to his dagger. Everyone tensed.

"You… Are more than you seem."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Bruce Banner."

"Mmm… It was originally used to bind kingdoms in peace, Bruce Banner. The Kings or Queens would be bound so that any betrayal would result in the death of their own." Angor's chuckle was grim. "It lasted a short time, even by your standards. Many kingdoms realized that they wished conquest more than they wished to protect their king…" He shook his head. "Where is Stricklander? Once we have the book, this should be done as quickly as possible. The longer you are bound, the harder the sorcery is to break."

"Wait!" Barbara raised her hand. "But if that's true… what would happen when I died of old age?"

"After a year, it would have been impossible to break the binding without killing you both." Angor's eyes gleamed in the light of the ship. "Stricklander should have been more careful what he asked of his 'dog'."

"Yep. Definitely still scary," Jim softly said.

* * *

Claire glared at the staff. "Why does it take so long?" she asked.

"Because you are doing something that is unusual? That even an experienced mage would find difficult?" Angor asked. The troll didn't seem perturbed at the explosive belt on him, the shaped charge designed to cut him in half while protecting anyone else. Or for that matter the guards in the room. "And you are becoming angry. You should not use that emotion. It opens you to other powers, such as the Pale Lady."

"I agree," Dr. Banner said. "Take it from me, negative emotions can… make things difficult."

"As I warned you, Fair Claire," Blinky said.

"Which is why, after this is over, I think maybe we should consider putting the staff somewhere safe," Tony said. "It's not as if—"

"You mean take it away?" Claire blinked. _I know they're better than we are, they're older, but he's just acting like—_"I took the staff."

"Yes, and are you going to _need _it, once the squirt is back, safe and sound?" Tony asked. "Other than to sneak out after curfew?"

"I—"

"Yes," Angor said. "She seized the staff. I was attempting to kill her, and yet she seized it. It is _hers_. And she could not use it if she did not have the gift for sorcery and a powerful one at that." The assassin looked at Claire. "Until she learns to control her gifts, the staff could be used against her, but it can also be a channel for her own powers."

"And it's _mine_," Claire grumbled softly. "But I sent the probe through, why can't I get anything back?" The three were working with Angor while Jim, Toby, NotEnrique and the rest of the Avengers cleaned out Stricklander's office. Another shield team was observing the Janus Order's HQ and Claire had barely been able to keep from flinching at the revelation that an entire underground HQ had been in her town.

Director Fury was holding off on it, until they cleared Stricklander's office. According to Mr. Stricklander, the most important materials had been stored away from the order so none could betray him.

Most importantly, it had the book with a ritual to separate Dr. Lake and Stricklander. Angor had told them that he could do it without the book, but the chances of an accident went up.

_Really_ went up.

"The Darklands were intended to be a prison," Blinky said. "Even your current success is impressive."

"Yeah, not good enough," Mr. Stark said. He gestured at the pieces of a probe on the floor, sliced in half when Claire lost concentration and the portal closed. "Not a good look for some babies."

Claire turned pale at that image.

"Yeah…" Mr. Banner said. "But the problem is you can't keep it steady. There's no anchor…"

He snapped his fingers. "What about the Bridge?"

"Killahead?" Angor asked. "It is a barrier, save when the Trollhunter opens it."

"And Vendel would never permit that," Blinky added.

"The entire point is to _not_ open the door to the legions of angry trolls." Mr. Stark said. "Still if it's the only way, I don't care how old this Vendel is, Fury can be pretty persuasive."

"Maybe we don't need to. Killahead bridge is a barrier, but it exists in both_ realities. _It's _stable_ in both realities when the bridge is assembled." Mr. Banner started getting animated.

"Like… Like a landmark!" Claire said. She could see it. "Like the way I can use something I have a tie to..."

"Right!" Mr. Banner said. "We secure the fetch to a single fixed point—you use it to project it out and since it's fixed, you'll know where Killahead is in relation to it, so you won't have the same problems focusing and losing track of your position!"

"And we can use the SPYEYE algorithms…" Mr. Stark lightly smacked himself on the forehead. "Right! We don't have enough power to make a portal, but we can send a few though with a generator and—Wait!" He turned and ran out of the room.

"Does the fleshbag always act like this?" Angor rumbled.

"Yes." The voices, troll and human, were unanimous.

Moments later, Mr. Stark came back in with a cart full of equipment. "Okay…" he said, plugging a fusor into some complex equipment that was far beyond anything Claire could understand. "Just give me one second…" He gestured at Claire. "Grab your staff of truancy and tell me if you can feel this." A switch was thrown and Claire blinked.

"I… Sort of… Yeah."

"And we've got it. If you're right, Bruce, we use Killahead as our main point to generate a starting coordinate for the portals, and when we find the kids, I'll make a smaller version of this to pop out so you have another point to work from, instead of just going with what you see." He smiled. "Progress."

Claire gripped her staff tightly. _Progress. But you're already talking about taking it away. What happens to us when this is over?_


	17. Breaking Bonds

"Stricklander and the Lady Barbara must both consent to the procedure," Angor said. "However, the cure for the troll is fairly straightforward, and will give my apprentice some practice."

_And that will help bind Claire to you._ Fury could understand Rot—he was in a bad place, and it made sense to make as many allies as he could. As long as Rot didn't forget that the kids were the only reason he was _alive._

"And he'll give up his security why?" Fury asked. He and Rot were alone, save for Thor. The Asgardian didn't trust Angor, and Angor for his part, seemed to approve. They'd gathered the items needed, and right now all the contents of the changeling's office were sitting in storage.

Fury wanted to take down the HQ, now, but the problem was attacking before they had the babies rescued risked the changelings vanishing into the crowd. He had people watching and more arriving by the hour, with cloaked RPV's observing, but they had a network of tunnels that resembled the Paris catacombs.

And that didn't even cover everyone else. Stricklander hadn't talked yet, and until he was separated from Dr. Lake, they were limited in what they could do. But the last thing Fury wanted to do was to spook them and find out the hard way that some officer with nuclear release authority in some nation was actually a changeling.

"I do not know," Angor said. "But if he does not, if he is not willing, it is unlikely that e_ither_ one will be sane when all is said and done."

_Damn._ Dr. Lake might be willing to give up her life, but that was the very last option Fury would consider.

And yet he was _dangerous. _Stricklander needed to have that hold on Jim taken away from him.

"The Trollhunter returned my soul…" Angor said. "But he has offered more. I will offer to abandon my quest to kill Stricklander… Presuming he does not prove to be an annoyance."

Fury snorted at that. "Well, let's talk to the man." With that, the three walked to the holding cell.

Inside the cage, Stricklander was laying down, hands folded, in his human form.

"Enjoying the view?"

"It does pall after a while," Stricklander said. "I—oh, I see you have brought Angor with you. I doubt he'd be disturbed by killing Barbara, so you'd best keep us apart."

"On the contrary, he's quite willing to do the procedure, but both parties must be _willing." _Fury frowned. "That presents a problem."

"You mean, I might not be willing to give up my only protection?" Stricklander smiled. "That does seem to present a problem."

"You would die anyway," Angor said.

"I would, but I expect it would be a race between you and Thor once the procedure was finished, not to mention Young Atlas."

"We have the documents from your office—but you never wrote down all the names of your changeling infiltrators. That _could_ be something you could trade."

"Until you had it, whereupon I would be dead. You _could_ offer me my freedom."

"That's not on the table," Fury said quietly.

"For my murders? Oh, Director, you didn't get to your position without dealing with those who have killed. I've been here for hundreds of years remember? I've seen lynchings and pogroms and all the things humans do to each other, and please believe me, changelings had nothing to do with most of that."

"Maybe not, but you're here now, and I can do something about you."

"And thus I have no reason to give up my protection. Barbara may be willing to die, but you are not willing to _let _her die."

"And what about your companions?" Fury asked.

"You've made it plain what you intend to do with them." Stricklander's tone wavered for a moment. "How could I help them?"

"If you were willing to cooperate, fully…" Thor paused. "I could ask a boon of my father. There are other worlds, other places you could live."

"For one generation. We're sterile."

"And we didn't do that to you," Fury said, and then pulled up a bench, staring at Stricklander. "Blinky told me how your people are seen, not just by trolls, but by Gunmar. 'Impure' is the word, right? Impure because they _made_ you that way." He shrugged. "I can understand, I really can, why you hate the trolls. Blinky says impure, doesn't even _think_ about it, that he's talking about trolls taken as infants and changed… It must not have been pleasant."

Stricklander shuddered. "You cannot conceive of how it felt. Many died not long after."

"And yet…I also know something." Fury paused. "You studied the Holocaust, right?"

"For my teaching."

"Did you ever hear of the medals?"

"Medals?"

"World War I medals. Jewish veterans, people who had put everything on the line for Germany. Some of them even thought that they had been brought to the camps by mistake—they had proven their loyalty to Germany, after all." Fury shook his head. "Didn't matter. Same thing for some of my ancestors—keep your head down, work hard, show everyone else that you are loyal… Didn't matter for them when the KKK came calling. I don't think it'll matter for you, even if Gunmar wins. After all, why keep the impure when the war you made them for is over?"

"And this is supposed to make me happy?"

"No. But I can't let you go. You committed murders and not long ago. I can't overlook the threat you pose. But I _don't hate you because you're changelings_." Fury gestured at Thor. "Maybe you take his deal. Maybe your people, the ones who haven't committed crimes, or who are willing to make restitution, can stay here or elsewhere, but us? We're the only ones around who dislike you because of what you _did_, not because of what you _are._ But if it gets to a war, I can't help you, because I have to protect what's mine."

Stricklander sighed. "Even among changelings trust is difficult. We're taught that from birth. But you're asking me to betray the only people I have ever had."

"No. I'm asking you to quite possibly _save_ them."

Stricklander paused. "I will tell you what I know, then, Director Fury, but other members of the order have information I do not. Gunmar was never eager to have any one person become irreplaceable. If they know you have taken me, and I would not be surprised if they do, they will evacuate the Order Headquarters, taking what they can and setting traps." He sat up, looking at Fury. "You will try and save the ones you can. No 'shot while trying to escape'."

"My word on it."

"And myself?"

"You have too much blood. Blood in living memory. I can't overlook that."

"And so I know you're telling the truth," Stricklander said. "Well, I have no more cards to play. I will do my best to assist Angor Rot." He paused. "Well, do you have anything to say?"

Angor chuckled. "Your plots were always too complex."

"Yes… I suppose they were."

* * *

"Doesn't this require a heartstone?" Blinky asked, staring at the book.

"No. You are no sorcerer," Angor growled. "I will be channeling the power through myself. A heartstone could be used but that would also destroy her memory of the time she was enchanted."

"But—but the pa—"

"I am no stranger to that." Angor looked down at Stricklander and Barbara. "It remains to be seen if they can endure it."

"Can I stay with her?" Jim asked.

"Jim, Angor said it will be painfu—"

"It might be wise, Trollhunter," Angor said. "To show her why she must endure."

Jim gulped. That sounded terrible.

"I will remain, Master Jim."

"Thank you, Mr. Blinky."

"No others," Angor warned. "Especially not you, Apprentice. Your control over your magic is weak and might contaminate the working."

"I… Okay." Claire and Toby patted Jim on his shoulder and then left.

"Prepare yourselves," Angor said, and then put Barbara and Stricklander's hands together.

Jim saw his mother shudder at the touch.

"Remain in contact for the entire process."

"Bar—"

"Enough Walter. It will be over soon and then we will never need to see each other."

"Yes. I suppose that's the case."

Jim stared down at Stricklander. He wanted to hate him, and he still did, but he looked so _defeated. _For a moment Jim tried to reconcile the teacher who had almost been a second father, with the changeling who had so casually tricked and and murdered people.

And it was hard.

But then Angor began to chant in a deep voice, and Barbara's eyes found Jim's.

"It'll be okay, Kiddo," she said.

Not long after that, the screaming started. Jim felt Blinky's hands grip him by the shoulders.

"Courage, Master Jim," Blinky said. "Your mother is strong."

* * *

In the lounge, everyone was sitting, waiting. Toby and Claire were on a couch, holding hands as they watched for the door to open, the muted PA announcements the only other sound. Captain America was waiting with them, the others off on their own duties.

After what seemed like hours, the doors opened, and Jim came in, tears running down his face, his forearm purpling where someone had gripped it. Blinky was holding him by the shoulders, half-supporting him. He looked at Claire and Toby and opened his mouth, closed it, opened it…

"Lady Barbara is fine," Blinky spoke for Jim. "She is resting. But the process… Was terribly painful. Angor was returned to his… quarters, but he said that much of her memory of the process, of the pain, will be muddled." The troll took a shuddering breath. "A mercy. I will not forget—" he looked at Jim and shook his head. "But she is okay, Master Jim, remember that."

"I—" Jim didn't complete the word as Claire and Toby grabbed him in a hug, holding him like their lives depended on it.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"As soon as Stricklander is awake," Blinky said quietly. "He will inform us of all changeling infiltrators in the human government."

"And then we're ready to move," Steve said.

"Your planned meeting with the trolls of Trollmarket may be difficult…" Blinky said. "They are barely used to the Trollhunter and his friends and your appearance might…"

"Don't worry, we'll be diplomatic," Steve said. "We _won't_ have Hulk take the lead in negotiations."

Blinky sighed. "Vendel will have my head."


	18. The Archer and the Doctor

When Clint poked his head into the recovery room, Dr. Lake was out of her bed and sitting, staring at the monitor. It was showing a view of Arcadia, from one of the stealth drones Fury had orbiting overhead at all times.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine," Dr. Lake said. "It's pain, but there was no physical injury to back it up, I—" she tried to lift a cup of water to her mouth, but her fingers were trembling so badly that she dropped it.

Clint snapped his hand out and grabbed the water. "It's not a sin to accept you've been hurting."

"That's not why I'm here…" she said, softly, letting him raise the glass to her lips. "I had to get up and convince Jim that I was fine, or he might not have left the room, and he needs to. He feels _so guilty_ and he's not the one who deserves it."

"And you do?" Clint asked. He sat down by her. She needed to talk. Tony would try to run her over with what he thought needed to be done, Bruce really didn't have the life experience, Natasha was with the kids and Cap… Well, sometimes being a living legend could be a disadvantage until someone got to know you.

That left Clint.

"Heh—Have you ever had a five year old nearly burn down your house?" Barbara asked.

"No…"

"It was right after J-his father had left. Left on his birthday. They had a kit—a bicycle he promised he'd put together with him… and he left. It was me, he said, I was too clingy, and too into medical school…"

_No, he wanted an excuse. Too clingy _and_ too interested in something else? He just wanted out of the hard work of the relationship. _

"So, well it was my last year, and things were difficult—I'd been depending on his income and we got…" Barbara brushed her eyes again. "Anyway, one day, I wake up and the house is full of smoke, the detector beeping away, so I go running into the kitchen, and there's Jim, in his PJ's, panicking at the grease fire."

Clint hissed.

"I know. I panicked. My baby boy was two feet from a skillet full of burning oil and he was getting ready to dump water on it. I screamed, grabbed him, ran him _out_ of the house…and put the fire out." She took a deep breath. "And then I read him the riot act, and after I was finished yelling at him, asked him what was he _thinking?_"

"What'd he say?"

"That I was always tired and sad and he wanted to make me breakfas—" Her voice broke on the last word. Clint reached out and patted her hand. She didn't talk for a few moments. "So after we calm down, I tell Jim that he can't use the oven or burners until he's older, but if he wants, he can make me cereal."

"He did?"

Barbara's laugh was half a sob. "Every day. He found our old alarm and set it, so every day until he _could_ use the oven, there was cereal or a sandwich, or something. Even when I was a zombie because I was so tired from the internship and I didn't have a husband to come home to and I didn't understand… It was there. When I watched TV and fell asleep, he'd come down and put a blanket on me."

"Good kid."

"The best. And then I turn on him. I think the worst of him, that he's jealous of Wal—of _Stricklander_, when I should be asking myself, my child, who has done _so_ much for me, is suspicious, and maybe, instead of being so desperate to dive into bed with another man, I should wonder why my son doesn't trust him. Stricklander was Jim's enemy. What was _my_ excuse for stabbing Jim in the back?"

She was trembling, and not from pain.

"You're human? You didn't understand why he was lying to you, and he _was_ lying to you." Clint didn't let her interrupt. "And Stricklander has hundreds of years of psyops experience. He knew you. He knew exactly what points to press. I bet he knew _everything_ about your husband, before he even started. And because of that, he knew exactly what to play on." He paused. "What did you think when Jim lied about the goblin attack?"

"I…" She took a shuddering breath. "I didn't know. I mean, it was such a transparent lie and I thought getting angry at him would make him tell the truth, but I didn't know it was… It was…"

"Just like the day your husband walked out, and everything you thought you knew turned out to be wrong."

Barbara didn't say anything, just put her face in her hands. "How can I face my boy?" she whispered.

"Talk to him." Clint frowned. "I have… Loved ones, and they know some of what I do, but they also know I can't talk about it. Jim didn't have the experience to realize that he needed to keep you in the loop, at least partially and you didn't know about trolls. But how about this? You can face him, because the moment you found out what was going on, you had his back. You turned your back on a being who could have shredded you, and I _want_ a recording of that confrontation, because he had tried to use you against Jim." Clint smiled. "After seeing that, Thor had no problem accepting why Jim got the amulet. You know, I see a lot of you in Jim—and a lot of Jim in you. He'll understand." He extended his hand. "We're getting ready to see the trolls. Want to see your son off? They'll be at the final briefing before we go down now."

"Yes…" Barbra said, taking Clint's hand. "I'd like that very much."


	19. Entering Trollmarket

"We have to go now," Fury said. Jim, Claire, Toby, their troll friends, everyone was listening in the large briefing room. "We've managed to capture most changelings in positions to do real damage, but Stricklander doesn't know who they all are. And their HQ was empty when the assault team breached it." He shook his head. "Someone was _clearly_ observing Stricklander, and we need to remove the kids as soon as possible."

"What about the bridge?" Claire asked. "Once we're done…"

"The only thing that bridge can be used for is to invade Earth," Fury replied. "So half of it will go into a blast furnace, and the other half will be scattered across the solar system. If they can fish chunks out of the sun, I'd say they've earned their chance." He glanced at Ophelia. "Which brings us to the children in the Darklands. I don't want a whole army trooping down there, so it will be the Avengers, the Trollhunters and Angor Rot for the initial meeting."

"Why him?" Barbara asked.

"The girl is my apprentice, or will be," Angor growled. "It is my duty to protect her."

"And, by mentioning that we have ensured that Angor is no longer a danger to Trollmarket, we will hopefully set the tone for any future negotiations," Fury said.

"Trollmarket will not enjoy our secret being broken," Blinky said.

"That's good, because I don't _want_ the secret broken. Short of Gunmar and the changelings, it looks like most trolls believe that good fences make good neighbors, and that's fine going forward."

"SHIELD can also assist you in concealing any future… breaches," Natasha said.

"That would make Vendel happy. I hope." Blinky didn't look confident.

"I'll be happy if he listens to us." Banner said.

"Oh, he will do that." Blinky shook his head. "It's what he'll say later that I'm worried about."

"Then let's go." Clint said. "The longer we wait the bigger the chance of things going wrong."

"What if it… Goes poorly?" Ophelia asked.

"Do not worry, Lady Ophelia," Thor said. He spun his hammer in the air. "We are well prepared to assist your children."

"But it won't come to that," Jim said quickly, turning and looking at Thor and the others. "Remember, most of these trolls are just…ordinary people. They may eat cats…" He shrugged. "Yeah, that kind of shook me, but we eat cows and chickens, but the thing is, they'll be scared, and for most of 'em, it'll be like a bunch of humans running into trolls. They're _afraid_, not hostile. I—" Then he blinked, looked up at Fury and the others and blinked again. "Um, sorry." _I just lectured the Avengers. _

"No," Captain America said. "It's a good point. We'll be in their homes, and their kids will be behind them. Be prepared to defend yourselves, but don't push."

"Let's go," Fury said.

"Nope, we're waiting one." Mr. Stark said. "Hammertime, Hamletlass, given that I seem to have been _overruled_, I've slapped some things together for you. My lab. Now."

Jim followed the others, wondering what Mr. Stark had in mind.

He didn't have long to wait.

"Get behind the screens and drop your clothes," Mr. Stark ordered.

"My _clothes?_" Claire said, scandalized.

"You can keep your underwear on, don't worry, Jarvis is the one who will be measuring you."

"Good afternoon, Madam, you may trust in my complete discretion."

"Yeah, he sort of needs that when he books my social calendar," Mr. Stark said. Claire and Toby got behind their respective screens and a spray of light followed. "Got that, Jarvis?"

"Yes sir, I am modifying the armors as we speak."

"A-armor?" Claire squeaked.

"Like, you—" Toby started.

"Mine?" Mr. Stark shook his head. "We don't have six months to train you so you don't kill yourselves and you don't need a weapon system. This is based on some high-threat protective suits I've been working on for Fury. Had the components, just had to cut'em down to pint-sized."

Behind him, Ophelia and Javier glared and Captain America winced.

"No. These are to _keep you alive_, since the best option is off the table. No repulsors, or flight, just enough strength enhancement so you can move like you weren't wearing—"

"The suits have been sized, sir."

"Thanks, Jarvis." Tony picked up the two suits, as they slid out of a hypertech machine that Jim was comfortably certain he'd never understand in a century. "Put 'em on."

Moment's later, Claire gasped. "This feels like—"

"Like an AI helped tailor it for you? Yeah, Pepper thinks we should license it to boutiques."

As he spoke, Claire and Toby came out. They were wearing white and gold suits that looked like motorcycle racing suits with a somewhat bulkier collar. Claire wiggled in hers. "I can feel the air—"

"That's some neural and tactile feedback working. Helps with situational awareness." Mr. Stark gestured at the suit. "The base suit will stop most small caliber bullets, and if it gets hit by something heavier, like say, a troll, it stiffens up and spreads most of the impact over the entire suit, so you get bruises, not chunky salsa." He gestured for them to lift their arms up. "It's flexible, and touch the stud to activate your helmets." Toby reached up and touched the collar and suddenly a helmet appeared out of the collar of the suit, a clear visor showing Toby and Claire's face.

"It's got lowlight and thermal imaging projected on the visor so you can see in the dark or smoke, and a two hour air supply if things get tight."

"Didn't you just ask for some bulletproof clothes?" Jim heard Black Widow ask Fury.

"It's Stark," he whispered back.

"This _isn't_ so you get get into the fight," Mr. Stark said. "It's so you can survive _running away._ It will spread out impacts, but it won't stop them—you get hit by a big troll and you'll take damage. Get hit hard enough…" Stark shook his head. "So _be_ careful."

"Right." Captain America looked at everyone. "Remember, we're here to _talk_, not fight. Best case? We end this without any more fighting and _everyone_ wins."

* * *

Claire was usually the one who had the Horngazel, for the simple reason that she had a purse. So it was her job to open the gateway.

Her parents and Dr. Lake weren't coming. Fury had ruled out any noncombatants on the way.

_Which means he doesn't think we're noncombatants._ Claire didn't know what to think about that. Sure, she wasn't Natasha, let alone Hulk, but on the other hand… _Director Fury's right. _We _kept this town from falling apart before the Avengers were here, and before I knew, it was just Toby and Jim. _ Mr. Stark might mean well, but sometimes he _really_ rubbed her the wrong way.

The gateway opened, revealing the stairs. Mr. Stark shifted. "And that's interesting—until you opened it, as far as the sensors said that was a solid concrete wall, and behind it was nothing but granite."

"Mass sensors as well, Tony?" Mr. Banner asked.

"_Everything_."

"Well, that's disturbing."

"Let's go," Director Fury ordered.

It was daytime, so the stairs were deserted. At least they were until they came to the bottom. Two guards were standing there. They looked up and blinked.

"Fleshbags!" one said. "How dare—"

"Guys, it's alright," Jim said.

"Queen Usurna said that you had betrayed Trollmarket!" the left guard said, hefting his pike.

"What?" Jim frowned. "No. I'm here to _help_ Trollmarket."

"With humans!" the second one said, a large, rocky troll. "I knew it was going to be a problem when you first gained the amulet!"

Claire held her staff at the ready. Toby hadn't opened up his hammer, but he held the hilt at the ready.

"Now see here!" Mr. Blinky said. "The Trollhunter has the right to bring guests before the council!"

"Not humans!"

"That's not in the _rules!" _ Blinky said.

"Because nobody ever _needed_ it in the rules! What's next? Telling us we can't eat cats?"

"Indeed we would not do such a thing," Thor said. He walked up next to Jim. "But we will be seeing your council."

"Who are you?"

"I am—"

"My guest," Jim said, and for a second Claire's mind gibbered _he just cut Thor off_. "They are _all_ my guests, and I've brought them here for something that can save Trollmarket, that can _end_ the threat of Gunmar. I don't know what Usurna has been saying, but it's my right. And my responsibility. Not yours." For a moment, the two trolls loomed over Jim's unarmored form, then backed away.

"As you say, Trollhunter." Then Jim led the Avengers and his friends into Heartstone Trollmarket. One troll almost said something, but then he saw Angor and quietly fainted.

_Yeah, this is going to go great… _Claire thought.


	20. Meeting the Council

Jim was used to a lot of attitudes from Trolls. Annoyance, disdain, distrust… Gradually turning back to acceptance and even friendship. Part of him had hoped that he'd be enough to keep them happy.

Not even. They glared at Director Fury, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow, frowned in confusion at Iron Man… Cowered at Angor…

But the trolls, especially the older ones, were _terrified_ of Thor. They'd only gone a few dozen feet into the main cavern when the whispers of "Odinson" filled the chamber. A troll whelp, barely out of its first decade, waddled unsteadily in front of them, when its mother ran out and grabbed it with a squeak of fear, six eyes wide and fixed on Thor and then ran back into their cavern.

"Thor," Captain America said. "You fought these people…"

"It was… Not much of a fight, not with the armies of Asgard on our side." Thor frowned. "At that time, I was far less forgiving than I am today, and we fought for the humans and our allies."

"Great," Toby muttered.

"Trolls frightened," Arrrggghhh said. "Thor was death."

"The legends of the conflict against the Asgardians have no doubt been exaggerated by time," Blinky said. "The tale of how the Troll-King's island was sunk under the deeps when he challenged Odin to a battle for ex—"

"No," Thor said. "That was true, one of the last times my father took the field."

"Ah." Blinky paused, and then in a lower voice. "Master Jim, I think we may have underestimated the impact of our new friends."

"Blinkeous!" A voice bellowed from across the cavern.

"Oh boy," Toby said.

"Vendel incoming…" Claire muttered.

"First you bring a human Trollhunter, then their friends—oh, hello, Fair Claire—and now what? Their families? Their neighbors? A Human _tour_ group? I have been fighting Ur—" the elder stopped, blinked. "Is that _Thor Odinson?_"

"Indeed I am!" Thor said with a smile. "And these are my boon companions!"

"The Avengers." Vendel put his hands up to his horns as if a great headache was coming upon him.

"You know the _Avengers?_" Toby asked.

"Not all of us use the television solely for its soothing static…" Then he glared at Blinky. "Blinkeous! Are you _trying_ to incite a panic!"

"No. The Avengers discovered the Trollhunter and desire to speak to the council." Blinky smiled. "I think you will be pleased—"

"Usurna has claimed that James Lake has betrayed us, and she wishes to put him on _trial!_" Vendel hissed. "And you wish to walk in with proof-positive that she is _right? _Do you have _any idea_ what punishment the Trollhunter could face?_"_

_"_Let's go with zip and nada," Mr. Stark said. "Going after the kids is not on the table."

"Oh, I'll let you tell Usurna that."

"I'll be happy to, Horns," Mr. Stark glared at him. "And everything that comes with it—"

Some of the Trolls around Vendel were beginning to grumble, their annoyance overriding their fear of Thor, and Jim was getting really nervous. He didn't mind Mr. Stark wanting to stick up for him, but it would only take one dummy and the whole thing would fall apart, and most trolls were territorial. Tony insulting Vendel _really_ wasn't going to go over well.

"Wait!" Jim said, and put his arms out, standing between Vendel and Iron Man. "Mr. Stark, Vendel's a friend, and he's always had my back. He's not your enemy." He turned to the leader of Heartstone Trollmarket. "Vendel, I know some trolls are afraid of humans, and of the Asgardians… But they're here to help. I killed Bular and captured the bridge, and now we can get rid of the threat of the changelings _and_ Gunmar, for_ever_. Humans and trolls don't have to be enemies—heck, Me, Claire and Toby are proof of that, and the Avengers can _do this_." Jim turned to the Avengers. "Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Dr. Banner, Hawkeye, Black Widow—they've all fought things that I could never dream of fighting, and they're here as _allies._"

"Usurna will ask where your loyalties lie," Vendel said. "And what will you answer?"

"My loyalties lie with protecting trolls _and_ humans, no matter who the enemy might be."

"And we're with him," Claire said.

"Yep." Toby replied as he stepped up to Jim's side.

"And who speaks for you?" Vendel asked.

"That would be me," Nick Fury said.

"Well, then, let us discuss your plan on the way to the council. Given the Trollhunter's involvement, I have no doubt that it is utterly insane and likely suicidal. But why break precedent at this late date?"

Jim saw Fury's lips twitch and then the man was explaining their plan to Vendel as they headed for the council chambers.

_And all I have to do is convince everyone about this plan, keep this Usurna from having me executed, and keep Iron Man from starting the next Troll-Human War. _

_Easy. _

"Jim," Black Widow said. "If Usurna is going after your loyalties, put your armor on. Remind them of who you are."

"Right." Jim took a deep breath. "For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to Command!"

* * *

Claire was trying not to tremble, but it was hard. She could see that everyone was tense, but now they were coming to be _judged_?

Why?

The galleries were full of trolls, more streaming in from the lower levels every moment. They were quiet, staring down at them, even as Vendel took his place in the council.

"James Lake, Jr.," Usurna said, the queen obviously related to Arrrggghhh. Sort of. Definitely not as nice as Arrrggghhh. "You have violated your trust as a Trollhunter. You have brought humans to Heartstone Trollmarket, revealed the very heart of our society to humanity—and to the Asgardians!"

Nick Fury strode up to stand by Jim, the silver armor contrasting with his dark clothing. "We were already in the process of investigating this region, due to information that had come to light during the invasion of New York. Jim Lake has done nothing that would not have happened eventually. He has already helped us remove the Janus order and its changelings from positions of power."

Claire blinked. _He's not… Oh. Right, if they knew it was me using the shadow staff, they'd have more reason to blame us._

At the word "changeling" there was a rumble from the gallery, until Vendel brought his staff down.

"You claim this is true?" Usurna asked.

"I _say_ it is true," Fury replied.

"And I saw it with my own eyes," Thor added. "I trust that my word is good?"

"I would assume that none on this council would doubt the Odinson's word," Vendel's voice was dry.

Usurna looked like she'd eaten something sour. "I would not make such a foolish statement. What is your plan?"

"We, uh, have a way to use the shadow staff and a fetch, uh, your majesty," Bruce said. "We can use it to enter the Darklands _without_ opening the bridge."

At that, there was an explosion of whispers.

"And why should we risk even that?" Gatto said. "The bridge is safe."

"Because there are human children in it," Jim said.

"My _brother, _for one," Claire snarled. She'd always disliked Gatto.

"And the bridge _isn't_ safe," Fury said. "It was almost opened once, and it can be opened again. Work with SHIELD and we can dismantle the bridge and spread the fragments so far that nobody will ever be able to reassemble it."

"I think there is room for a few fragments in Asgard," Thor said.

"And if you're worried about how people might feel, returning kidnapped children would be a good start," Hawkeye said.

"And they are humans, and it's my duty to protect them," Jim said.

"If the human familiars were returned, then the changelings would lose their greatest strength." Vendel was speaking to the air, but Claire noticed that he was looking at Usurna.

"If there is no danger of freeing Gunmar…" Gatto rumbled. "I have no objection."

"Nor do I," Vendel said. "I would hope that you would allow us to observe this—fleshbag technology is not a subject that many of us have studied, especially when it is combined with sorcery."

The others weighed in and soon Usurna was isolated. "Very well," she said. "But that does not absolve the Trollhunter of his violations of our code. We must now determine how he is going to be punished."

"James Lake, Jr., is an American citizen," Fury said. "You brought him in before he was aware of what being a Trollhunter entailed."

"Yeah, the whole 'to the death' part, was probably a surprise," Mr. Stark said.

"Even if it hadn't been, human youths aren't legally allowed to make binding contracts, at least not without the permission of their parents," Natasha added.

Claire and Toby stared at each other. _This is getting really weird_. It was like a whiplash—one second they were being treated almost as if they were Avengers, the next, they were being told that they were kids.

Claire wished that people would _decide_, one way or the other.

"So you are saying that _our_ Trollhunter is only bound by _our_ laws when you wish it?" Usurna said, and now the crowd had gone from appreciative back to grumbling.

"Wait!" Jim said. "I need to speak, without interruption." He looked at both trolls and Avengers.

"Very well," Vendel said. Fury nodded.

"The Avengers are right. Legally, I can't make a contract like that. And I didn't _know_ what I was getting into. But Queen Usurna is _also_ right. I can't come in here, act like the Trollhunter… And then run and hide from the consequences of my actions because I'm a kid."

"It would seem that we are at an impasse, then," Usurna said. "For as you have said, you cannot hide from the price of your crimes."

"I haven't been tried yet," Jim said. "But you are all missing something."

"What is that?"

"I'm a kid, _now_." Jim looked up, his silver armor gleaming. "But I'm sixteen and in two years, I'll be an adult. In _both_ worlds."

Claire felt a shiver of dread touch her. The trolls were surprised—even Blinky and Arrrggghhh often didn't understand ages, treating them as if they were far older than they were. For the trolls above, who never really interacted with short-lived people, well like her…

"And what does this mean?" Gatto asked.

"It means that in two years, I'll come back to the tribunal and I will be an adult and then, I will stand trial and accept whatever punishment you see fit to grant."

There was an explosion of shouts, cheers and jeers from the crowd.

Claire wanted to scream. _Two years, Jim? Gatto hates you! Vendel is only one vote!_

But she didn't. Because there wasn't anything to say.

"That is no—" Mr. Stark fell silent as Captain America touched him on the shoulder.

"Tony. He's right. In two years he'll be an adult. It's done."

For a moment, Mr. Stark looked like he was about to fly up and attack the council. Then he almost seemed to crumple. "Right. We've got two years to figure something out."

"Very well, Trollhunter," Usurna said. "We will _expect_ you to hold to your word."

"The Trollhunter has never _broken_ his word," Vendel said and his voice was cold. "Would you accuse a troll of faithlessness, without proof?"

Usurna opened her mouth, but then closed it. Claire noticed that Thor had casually started slapping his hammer into his open hand, with a…

Okay, it was _technically_ a smile as he was looking up to Usurna.

"Now, Avengers, what will you need?"

"We'll need some of my people to bring the children back up to the surface," Fury said. "A team will prepare the tech side of things for the bridge, and Claire will be needed to make the link."

"Very well," Vendel said. "And may you be successful." The council rose and started to leave, but Vendel stopped. "Trollhunter—James Lake, Jr."

"Yes?"

"I do not know where your words will take you, but while I have often been critical of you… You were very properly chosen by the Amulet, and you are a worthy Trollhunter, even were Deya herself here."

"I—" Claire saw Jim swallow, and then nod back. "Thank you Vendel."

Claire wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

But she couldn't. Jim had done what every teen dreamed of doing, now and then, force everyone who told them they had to wait to stand and let them make the choice.

She couldn't get angry at him if the end point of his choice might be… Jim's end.

Even if it broke her heart.

* * *

"So they are planning on taking the familiars and closing the bridge?"

"Yes, my Dark Underlord," Usurna said. Her loyal guards would prevent anyone from getting in, but even so, she was nervous. After all, she was reporting the end of all of Gunmar's dreams to him.

"Assist them," Gunmar said. "Gather the _impure_ and your own allies, but you will not strike until it is time."

"When will that be?"

"When the humans have opened the bridge and crossed over."

"But—why would they?"

"They will. They will have no choice," Gunmar chuckled. "And they will leave the Odinson on the wrong side of the bridge. I will kill these… _Avengers_ who enter my realm, and you will open the bridge that I might leave. If not that, then you will praise the ones who return, for they will in truth be working my will."

"But… But the Odinson!"

"He is but one being, even if he is a god," Gunmar said. "And your main goal will not be to simply strike him down, but to slay _all _in Heartstone Trollmarket. Once you leave you will tell all that the Trollhunter betrayed us, that he worked with the Odinson to slaughter all present…and with no other witnesses, save for those under _my control_…"

"I see. It will be as you command." Usurna didn't see. She didn't know how he would get the Trollhunter into his realm, but it was not her place to question Gunmar.

And who knew? If she was lucky enough, she might be able to lay the body of Thor at his feet…


	21. Throwing Down the Gauntlet

The first step to saving the kids was bringing in Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner's equipment. Jim had warned Director Fury that even with the approval of the council, they probably wouldn't want a _lot_ of humans tromping around, and so the Director had only brought those who absolutely had to be there for the set up, with Trolls doing the heavy lifting.

Not that Director Fury was too trusting. It turned out that the aircraft carrier they were on could _fly_ and was now hovering just south of Arcadia. Not only that, but teams were in the sewers, checking to make certain no remaining changelings were trying to get down that way.

_They have a flying ship. Of course._ Jim shook his head at that and watched as they set up the fetch directly in front of the Bridge. It was locked into a frame, immovable and the place Claire would stand had been marked out.

"They will not forgive you, Trollhunter." Angor told him. He'd just _appeared_ behind him with that creepy stealth of his.

Jim didn't jump like a little girl. He was exercising and that was the story he'd keep with.

"As much as I would like to disagree, Master Jim, Angor is correct," Blinky said. "You placed the council, and especially Usurna, on the spot, at it were."

"Well, I promised."

"And in two years will you keep your promise?" Angor asked.

"Indeed, you could…" Blinky sounded more desperate. "Master Jim, you embarrassed Usurna, and she will not forget. These children are important, but you do not have to be a human sacrifice, for them, especially since they will be _safe_. You could always…"

"If humans only obey Troll law when it suits them, then there will never be a real peace," Jim quietly said. He grinned. "Besides, I still lasted longer than any thought."

"Not I, M—_Jim._" Blinky closed his eyes. "You have short enough a time on this earth, you should not throw it away."

"But I'm not." Jim tried to subdue the part of him that was gibbering about what might happen. "I'm doing what the Trollhunter is supposed to do—it's for life, remember?"

"I have not been able to forget that since the first moment I saw you, Jim," Blinky said. He patted him on the shoulder. "And I have not told you how proud I am, nearly as often as I should."

"Okay kids, trolls and heroes, we're ready." Mr. Stark gestured at the fetch. A rod of metal was sticking into it, the other side emerging into the Darklands. "Sensors show nobody is close to it right now, so Jarvis, unleash the horde."

"Right away, sir,"

From boxes around the chamber, a positive cloud of whispering disks rose, the trolls around them stepping back. The tide poured into the fetch, somehow never getting in each other's way.

"We've got telemetry," Bruce said. Above him, a 3d map was projected, growing ever larger. "Weird gravity, but we're compensating."

"A map of the Darklands," Blinky murmured. "Amazing."

The map kept growing, as everyone watched it. Claire was bouncing up and down. "C'mon, please…" she murmured. Jim and Toby went to her.

"They'll find him," Jim said. Claire didn't say anything for a moment, then hugged Jim, tightly.

"I hope so…" she whispered. "It's been so long since I've seen him…"

"They'll find him," Toby repeated. "I mean, they've already done one thing that I thought was impossible."

"What?"

"Vendel's being polite." Toby gestured to where Vendel and Nick Fury were in a deep conversation. Scarily enough, they'd hit it off.

"Ya—"

"Got human lifesigns," Dr. Banner said, and abruptly a window opened showing hundreds of babies in floating cribs… being tended to by goblins.

"Right." Tony was all business. "Claire, get over here, we need to put out the beacon."

Claire walked up, Angor next to her. "Remember, do not use anger. Use your _purpose_, Apprentice."

"Right…" she murmured. "Get Enrique back." She stared at the image from the drones, then at the fetch and _pushed_.

It took nearly a half minute, but the gate opened and Tony sent the beacon through.

"I—I can feel the beacon!" Claire said. "I can hold the portal."

"Good. Tell us if _anything_ starts to change," Tony said. "Jarvis? Baby carriages ready?"

"Yes, sir."

Jim really wanted to know why Tony Stark had a bunch of hovering baby baskets lying around. Even he couldn't build something that fast. Could he?"

"But first…" Stark said. "Some party favors for our goblin friends." And with that several slightly larger objects rose up on repulsors and flew though the gap.

Flying guns.

"Ready?" Tony asked.

'Yeah." Claire closed her eyes and focused. "_You're coming home. You're coming home today."_

And with that, the goblins suddenly were attacked. Bolts of concussive force, UV light, dazzlers striking them, while other drones linked together into cradles, picking up the giggling, cooing infants and rapidly moving them to the gateway Claire had projected via the fetch. One after another, each one was deposited into a crib that was then sent shooting up to the surface where Barbara and a band of SHIELD medics awaited them.

Jim blinked. They even were playing… _Lullabies?_

They kept going, one after another, as Claire _focused, _the portal never wavering.

"Director, the helicarrier just reported—Stricklander has just lost his human form," Black Widow said.

"So it's working…" Hawkeye murmured.

"But where's Enrique?" Claire asked. "We're almost to the end…"

"There's still a few more," Tony said. "We can get him…"

But he wasn't with any of them. Claire, without letting her concentration lapse, looked over at Dr. Banner. "Where is he?"

"No other—wait, there's one now." Dr. Banner looked puzzled. "It looked like it was being shielded. But how the hell…they didn't know we were…"

"I know far more than you realize, fleshbag." The voice was deep, not coming from the chamber but from the sensors of the drones. A great troll had appeared, walking out of a cavern that had just… _appeared._ "And it was easy enough to hide from your sensors, especially when I only needed to hide one infant fleshbag." His hand opened, and in it was Enrique. "This one. The newest one."

"I've gotta—"

"_No."_ Angor put his hand on Claire's shoulder. "You cannot maintain two portals at once. If you attempt to portal the child out, you will lose this link."

"But I still have the fet—"

"It took you 30 seconds to establish a portal through the fetch," Captain America said. "He'll know the moment you try. We need to talk this out."

Claire didn't say anything, just held the staff, tears starting to pool in her eyes.

"So you have a child," Fury said quietly. "We have the gateway, and once it's destroyed…"

"I will have no reason to keep the child alive. I know the fleshbag sister is there, I know far more than you expected."

"Seems we have some security leaks to plug," Fury said.

"Do you know what it is like to devour an infant…" Gunmar rumbled, and Jim realized that he wasn't talking to anyone other than Claire. "They _squall,_ in terror and later in pain, perhaps thinking their parents, or their _sister_ can protect them. But they never do. I had taken their offspring. They. Never. Even. Noticed. You _never _noticed and when you did, you trusted in the Trollhunter. He promised you to return your brother, and yet here we are."

"And what does that gain you?" Fury asked.

"Maybe nothing, save to forever taint your victory." Gunmar smiled. "If you are holding me here, forever, what else do I have to lose… Unless you were to give the fetches to the order and release them. After all, they can no longer do _you_ harm."

"That's not going to happen." Fury said.

"He's going to kill him, he's going to kill him…" Claire held the staff as steady as a rock, but her legs had gone out from under her, leaving her sprawled in her position, eyes wide, tears spilling down her cheeks. Jim took her by one arm, Toby by the other, trying to hold her. Jim could feel her violent trembling as Claire stared at the image on the monitor, of her brother in Gunmar's hand, the talons curving up around him like a cage.

"Then I have nothing—"

"Yes you do!" Jim shouted. "You have _everything_ to lose."

"And what do I have to lose?" Gunmar asked.

"Your respect—Gunmar the Black, the troll who killed a child and yet was too afraid to face the murderer of _his son!_" Jim let Toby hold Clair as he stood up, calling Daylight to him.

"It'll be okay, Claire, It'll be okay," Toby was repeating. Behind him, Blinky was standing, four hands clenched, fury on his face as he stared at Gunmar's image.

"If you hurt Enrique, you're right, we can't stop you." Jim said. "But I'll efface every memory of you, until everyone, troll _and_ human knows you as a coward that hides to this day. Human children will have _Gunmar the Cowardly_ dolls that they play with."

"You dare!" Gunmar growled, and the hand he held Enrique in twitched. Jim heard a terrified whimper from Claire.

"I dare, because your first demand wasn't that I face you. Is vengeance for your son worth so little?"

"You wish me to be—"

"Gunmar the Black. I, Jim Lake Junior, Son of Barbara Lake, _Trollhunter_, Bular Slayer, challenge you. I will _enter _the Darklands, and there we will fight, after you give Claire's brother back." A tiny part of Jim was gibbering, but it had been beaten into silence by his sheer, incandescent rage. Gunmar was no different from any other bully, someone who took joy in who he could hurt.

And Jim hated bullies.

"And when we fight, _I will end you._"


	22. Preparing for War

"In a day, Trollhunter, you shall die." When Gunmar turned and left, Enrique still in his hand, the portal blinking out. The hologram remained, the empty space where Gunmar had been mocking everyone.

Claire fell to her side, and the sound she made was like a broken animal. She didn't seem to see anything, even though her eyes were wide open.

Natasha and Clint were at her side, and then Jim. Toby hadn't relinquished his hold on his friend.

"Claire," Jim said. "We'll get him back, Claire, I promise. No matter what it takes, I'll get him back."

Claire didn't respond to Jim, just staring at the image.

_Gunmar let us get the rest of the children. He did it to get our—no, _Claire's_ hopes up. So that when he made his reveal, it would hit her the hardest._

_And piss off Jim._

It was smart, leveraging his very weakness into an advantage. The Natasha who graduated from the Red Room would have been impressed.

The Natasha holding the sobbing girl wanted nothing more than to murder Gunmar.

Slowly.

"He'll kill him. He'll kill him." Claire shivered. "He wanted me to see how close we came…" Her voice was weak, thready, her skin cool to Natasha's touch.

"Fury, we need an evac," she said.

"Wait!" Jim put the staff to the side, and then held on to Claire's hands. "Claire, we can get Enrique back, but I need your help."

"I can't—I can't do it fast enough."

"Not from _this_ side. But once we're in there with Gunmar, you can portal Enrique away from him before he can do anything."

Claire was still trembling, but then she looked up at Jim. "But…"

"Then you can portal yourself _and_ Enrique back to the fetch, and then portal through it. You told me that it's easier when you're moving yourself, and even if it isn't, you'll be next to the fetch, Gunmar won't be there and Mr. Stark can send more of those blasty things through to cover you. Even if Gunmar gets the amulet…" Jim took a deep breath. "It won't help him. Not after SHIELD destroys the bridge."

"What about you and Toby?" Claire asked. She sniffled, drew the back of her hand across her face… but now it was an angry motion.

_Jim's giving her a plan._ Natasha looked around. Fury was quiet, face closed, as usual. Next to him, Vendel leaned on his staff and shook his head. Tony looked pissed, and so did Banner, in that minor, mild way that let you know that the Big Guy was getting ready to come out to play. Thor was listening to Jim, and only if you looked closely at his hand could you see how his fingers whitened around the haft of his hammer. Blinky and Arrrggghhh were slowly walking up to Claire. Natasha glanced at Clint and nodded, and they pulled away, letting the last two Trollhunters join the group, the girl almost seeming lost within their great hands.

Steve… Steve was looking at Jim with that intensity that reminded you of just what he had _done_ during and after the war. He was no stranger to forlorn hopes.

"Toby can go with you to protect you," Jim said. "I'll… Be distracting Gunmar." He grinned. "He _really_ hates me."

"Jim—you can't, that's suicide!" Claire said.

"I'm… A lot better than I was, and remember, Gunmar has to fight me personally, or he loses face. It'll be one on one."

Blinky had put his hand on Claire's shoulder. "Master Jim… Gunmar has never been defeated by any other troll. The best we could do is seal him away. You slew Bular… But the son was never equal to the father."

"I might get lucky," Jim said with a weak chuckle. "Besides, it doesn't matter, does it? Whether I win or lose. Gunmar will be trapped forever and you'll have Enrique back, so it doesn't _matter_ if I get k—don't win. You know, do what the Trollhunter is supposed to do." He was starting to tremble, Natasha noticed. The anger was running its course and Jim wasn't a fool. _He never expected to win. But he will get Enrique back, no matter what it costs him._

_But he's still 16 and he knows he just signed his own death warrant. _

"Good plan," Steve said. "Just one problem. We don't trade lives, and you have a larger team than you're used to working with."

"Indeed," Thor rumbled.

"Damn right," Tony said. And he wasn't joking. There were a few things that could make Tony Stark stop with the snark. Incandescent rage was one of them.

Jim paused, staring at them like he was seeing the Avengers for the first time.

Natasha sympathized. It was hard to get out of the mindset that you had to do things yourself.

"If…" Jim frowned. "If Gunmar thinks he's going to lose anyway, or not get a shot at me, he'll kill Enrique on the spot."

"So no Thor," Steve said. "That's fine, I need him with Clint, Natasha, and Toby, on this side."

"But this is safe…" Toby said.

"I don't think so," Steve said. "Gunmar is too well informed, and he knows that whatever happens, when the bridge is destroyed, he loses his best way out. So we have to assume he has some plan to breach the bridge. If so, you and Thor are best suited to plug that portal, with Clint and Natasha handling any other attacks." He shook his head. "And I bet Gunmar knows that we'll keep Thor on this side of the portal, so _be careful_. He may have surprises in stow."

_Thor plugged a portal with giant leviathans coming out of it, he doesn't need Clint and my help, let alone Toby's._

But Jim and Claire were both vital to the mission, and Toby, for all of his courage, didn't bring anything to the mix that they couldn't—but Cap wasn't about to tell him that. So leave it to Cap to find a way to let him contribute, even if being near Thor was about the safest place you could be.

"Yeah, that day's waiting period has trap written all over it," Tony said. "So who's coming along?"

"Me, you and Bruce." Captain America gestured at Tony. "I know Gunmar's type. Even if he can objectively think that we're a threat, to him we're also… 'fleshbags' and weak. I'm just a slightly stronger human, you're just a man in armor and Bruce is…"

"Bruce." Bruce grinned. "Not threatening at all."

"Not until we get Enrique back. Then it's Hulk Smash." He turned to the Trollhunters. "Jim, we'll go over the plan, but I need you to promise me—however furious you are with Gunmar, you're fighting a delaying action until we get Enrique back, and then we _all_ hit him at once."

"That's a better plan than mine," Jim said. "I _want_ to live to graduate from my sophomore year."

Natasha saw Tony's jaw tighten with the effort to probably not say the first five things that came to mind.

"Good. Remember, Gunmar is smart, and that means we have to be prepared for nasty surprises, not least of which is that sword of his, but we'll have some surprises _he's_ not ready for. We'll flesh out the operation before we head in."

"And we will join Jim and the Fair Claire!" Blinky said.

"No," Tony said. "You need to stay on this side of the gate."

"But Man of Iron—"

"I have some little party favors for Gunmar, but they're not too discriminating in what type of troll they bother. I'm thinking of calling them sunlight in a can."

"And we can't risk friendly fire in the Darklands," Steve said.

Blinky sighed and looked at Jim in regret. "Then we will stay with Master Tobias."

"And there will be songs sung of it!" Thor said, slapping Blinky on the back and nearly bowling him over.

Jim helped Claire up to her feet.

"I'm sorry—I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to lose it, like that I just—it was the first time I saw Enrique and he was so _close—"_ her voice broke. Jim and Toby got Claire in a hug, holding on to her.

Jim murmured into her ear, "I know, Claire. But you're strong. We can do this…"

"I—" Claire didn't say anything else for a moment, just hung on to Jim and Toby.

And everyone else quickly found something else to occupy their time, even, wonder of wonders, Tony.


	23. The Last Deep Breath

A day wasn't much time, Jim knew, but the Avengers swung into it like they were used to this.

Fury and Captain America spent time talking to Vendel and Blinky about everything they knew about Gunmar, from how long it took his blade to destroy someone's mind, to the tactics he'd preferred to use before he had been sealed away.

Claire and Jim's parents would be brought down—Claire's parents because they provided a strong emotional link, Jim's mother because she wouldn't stay away, and could help provide medical care. Toby's Nana remained on the helicarrier—she'd told everyone she trusted Tobypie and that they didn't need her hobbling around getting in the way.

Jim had a terrible feeling that they hadn't fooled her _at all _with the whole exchange student story.

Draal remained at home-he'd wanted to come, but Jim had pointed out that his house made for another place Claire could portal to if she needed to and if she did... Enrique and her safety would be Draal's responsibility. Fury had decided to have several SHIELD agents stationed with Draal, so that the troll could assist if any remaining changelings tried attacking Arcadia.

Vendel was off trying to calm the other Trolls while Usurna grumbled and then left to gather extra security. Fury, if he'd had his way, would have flooded Trollmarket with soldiers, but…

"I don't like it," he'd told everyone. "But I have to deal with these trolls _after_ Gunmar is gone."

"Do not worry," Thor said. "I'm certain that I, Tobias and his valiant friends will be able to keep the peace."

"Or pieces," Jim muttered.

But then came the hard part. Talking to their parents. Mr. Stark had shown them a video of the entire confrontation with Gunmar. Ophelia was sniffling, Barbara looked pale, Javier looked like he wanted to murder someone.

"I'm sorry," Jim said. "This is my fault. If I hadn't known your daughter, the order never would have kidnapped Enrique, and none of this—"

"Stop." Jim blinked as Ophelia and Javier stepped forward. The councilwoman stared at him for a moment. "It isn't your fault. People like Gunmar, they want to make it your fault—like the man who murdered that poor clerk last year. He spent an hour telling the jury that he wasn't responsible, that if she'd only _given_ him the money, he wouldn't have shot her." Ophelia made a disgusted sound. "You didn't take our son, you didn't do any of this. Gunmar and his servants did, and no matter what happens, _they are to blame_."

"She's right, Jim," Barbara said. "Captain America, you'll…"

"We'll do our best, Ma'am," Captain America said. "But the Trollhunters will be on the front lines with us."

_Trollhunters. Not kids, _Jim thought. He'd be thrilled if he wasn't so terrified.

"If we have less than a day, we'd better get ready." Barbara frowned. "Director Fury, can I go back to the helicarrier? I need to chat with my ex."

* * *

Boredom was an unusual emotion for Walter Stricklander. In fact, for most of his life the problem had been too few hours, not too many.

But now, as he bounced a little rubber ball he'd been given off the walls he was bored.

And this would likely be his life. Walter had been jailed before, but humans who didn't know what he was made for singularly poor jailers.

But not these ones. Shield knew what he was, and how dangerous he could be. The corridors outside were illuminated by lights designed to mimic the sun as close as possible, so even if he somehow broke through the cell…

Not to mention that some point that morning, he'd reverted to his trollish form.

_It's done. For good or ill, it's done_. Some of the changelings had made lives, some of them to the point that the Janus Order wondered if they'd be loyal—the usual solution was to give them the offer of breaking ties with their families or being ordered to arrange an accident.

Some of those changelings had fled rather than carry out their orders.

_I wonder if your families see you as monsters or loved ones, now?_

"Walter," Barbara said.

Walter rolled over and frowned, as he stared at the woman. "Barbara, what an unexpected surprise. I thought you had said you were never going to speak to me again."

"Jim is going to fight Gunmar."

That brought Walter to full attention. "Is Jim mad? He will die."

"Gunmar found out and he has Enrique—the child you replaced."

"The Avengers will be going with him?"

"And Claire. Don't ask me why or anything else about their plan."

"I wouldn't. But why are you here?"

"You said you were affectionate to me. I can… Ask Director Fury to—"

"Director Fury would no more listen to you than he would me. There is nothing he would not do for his nation—his people. I'm afraid, Barbara, that you are making a promise you cannot carry out. But I didn't ask what you might do for me—why are you here?"

"You have to know some weakness."

"Gunmar is one of the most powerful trolls to ever live. He has no weakness, not in the sense of some Achilles heel he is unaware of. Atlas is fighting him?"

"Atlas mocked him and threatened to make him a laughing stock if he _didn't_ accept."

"Heh. Jim is too good for his health. The fight with Mr. Palchuck was for similar, albeit lesser, reasons." He paused. "In the material you retrieved from my office, there is a stone in a box with a golden symbol on it. That is the third Triumbric stone. Vendel or Angor will know what to do with it."

"Will it save—"

"No. At most it will give him a chance. But no Trollhunter has ever defeated Gunmar and there is a reason for that."

"Then why?"

"Nothing I can say or do will matter to my position. I will remain here, or in another prison for the rest of my life, unless Director Fury or his successor decides to remove me in a more permanent manner." He sighed. "And so, for perhaps the first time in my life, I can make a decision without worrying how it will benefit or harm me. Oddly enough for being in a prison cell, I am freer than I ever have been." He looked up and smiled. "So be grateful, Barbara. In almost any other situation, my fondness for Young Atlas would not have mattered to me. Here it does, because, well, what else do I have to gain?"

"That's a _terrible_ apology," Barbara quietly said.

"But it is, for perhaps the first time in my life, an _honest_ one." Stricklander's lips quirked. "And not even fully selfless. Jim may hate me, and he may be willing to see the changelings punished for what they have done, but I doubt he will permit Director Fury or the Trolls to kill all of them for safety's sake."

"You think he can stop them?"

"Oh Barbara, your son started out as a fifteen-year-old who didn't even understand what he _had_, and I have been manipulating affairs for hundreds of years. Yet here I am, in no small part due to his actions. Fury or Vendel, I think neither one would underestimate Young Atlas. They are, after all, wiser than me. But you'd best get the stone. I doubt you have much time."

"I will." Barbara turned, then paused. "For what it's worth, you're right about Jim and the rest of the changelings." Then she left, leaving Walter alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Usurna glared as her soldiers brought the caskets to her. On the lower levels of Trollmarket, where the Krubera had their quarters, there were no prying eyes.

"My Lady, the Order stands ready," Otto said. "But yes, we and your soldiers can kill all the inhabitants of Trollmarket, down to the smallest whelps." If he was disturbed by that, he didn't show it.

_Know your place, Impure._ Of course, without their ability to shift form, they were only useful as cannon fodder for the this battle, after with Usurna's soldiers would dispose of them, leaving her as the only witness to Thor and humanity's treachery. The only reason that she did not kill them now was that only a small minority of her subjects knew of Usurna's true allegiance. Only a hundred or so soldiers were with her, not enough to ensure that _no_ citizens of Trollmarket escaped, and it had to be all of them.

"But, how can we defeat Thor?"

"You are that afraid, _impure?_"

Otto did not step down. "He is the son of Odin. If you desire to kill all of those who can gainsay our story, some of _us_ will have to survive to tell our own version."

"And survive we will," Usurna said. "We have fought Asgardians before." She slowly opened the casket, and Otto stared at it, before he hissed in disgust at the leprous crystal.

"What is that?" he asked.

"The fleshbags have so very many legends. But some are garbled accounts of the truth. This is a fragment of Jörmungandr's heart—its heartstone. We have two of them, forged by our darkest rites in the days of the war—but Gunmar was banished before they could be used. Now, I unshackle them!" she said and made a short, sharp gesture. Soon the fragment was growing, overflowing the casket, the crystalline growths touching the floor. "We will open the other one now, and soon, two of Jörmungandr's scions will rise, and Thor will either die or be far too busy to worry about protecting the other trolls or the fleshbags. He will have no choice, not if he wishes to keep them from growing to their full power and reaving the humanity he cares so much for—"

"But, but, but—My Lady! What of Asgard?"

"Have you seen Odin? Their armies? Thor is here because he enjoys a fight and he is fond of his pets. Asgard cares not for this world. We merely must deal with him. And even if the humans burn Arcadia with their weapons, it will help us, and prove to all trolls that Gunmar's way…"

"Is the _only way." _


	24. Joining Battle

When Jim got the third stone from his mother, he stood, staring at it for a moment, before he showed it to Vendel. Angor had given him the second, but now…

"The third stone…" Vendel shook his head. "Come, Trollhunter, we have little time. You will have to cut the stone yourself."

Jim nodded and looked at the others, before he followed Vendel into the workshop.

"Do you think I have a chance?" he asked the ancient troll as he carefully followed the facets of the gem.

"We _all_ have a chance," Vendel said. "But with your new friends… yours are better than most."

"Yeah." Jim said. He paused. "But what happens if we kill Gunnmar? What does the Trollhunter _do?_"

"Were you not thinking of pushing those duties off on Angor Rot?"

"I… I don't know." Jim shook his head. "I mean, the whole fighting to the death thing, but the Amulet choose me."

"Yes. It chose you." Vendel tilted his head. "And there are no lack of trolls who are as good—better than you are—when it comes to fighting. Draal the Deadly for example. And yet, you are no Unkar the Unfortunate." Vendel chuckled. "So, perhaps the Amulet did not choose you solely to _fight… _Now, we have little time. Cut along that facet there…"

When Jim came out, he held the Amulet. Looking at the gathered group, he held it up.

"For the Doom of Gunmar, Eclipse is Mine to Command!" he called out. The armor swirled around him, but this armor was dark, shot through with reddish highlights. The sword had also changed, giving him a darker, more ominous look.

"Are we ready?" Captain America asked.

Jim nodded. Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner were working with the fetch, held securely in its housing, Tony gave Captain America a thumbs-up.

"Good." Tony said. "Sensors on the other side show that nobody is near the bridge. Evidently Gunmar wants us to walk to _him_. Claire, you can keep your fix on the fetch, so you don't have to _wait_ for the Bridge."

"Right." Captain America looked around. "Remember, we're walking into his territory. He's run this place for centuries and that means he knows everything about it. He's going to try to trap us, either before or after we get to him. Don't hold back, and focus on the mission. Once we get Enrique back, we can deal with Gunmar." He glanced down at Claire. "Once you get your brother, don't wait for any of us. Portal back to the fetch, portal through it, and stand by if we need an evac from you instead of just moving back to the bridge. Watch out for his sword—according to legends he needs time to use its power, but I wouldn't put it past him to have concealed its full powers." He looked at those who were staying behind. "Remember, there may be action on this side of the bridge."

Toby gulped and gripped his hammer, as Arrrggghhh and Blinky stood by him. Thor smiled and nodded to Captain America. "And we will keep this side safe."

"Mama, Papi…" Claire softly said. "I'm going to get him back. I'll bring Enrique back."

"I know," Javier said. "And make certain to bring _yourself_ back."

"I will—" Claire's voice cut off as her parents hugged her.

Jim looked over at Barbara. "Mom…"

"I'll see you in a few minutes, with Enrique," Barbara said. "Jim… I love you…and I've never been prouder."

Jim didn't trust himself to say anything, just nodded. He joined Claire, standing between Captain America and Iron Man. Claire touched the stud on her armor, the helmet forming over her head, while Iron Man closed his own helmet. Next to him, Dr. Banner stood at ease, as if there was nothing scary about wandering into troll hell.

Given who lived in his head, Jim could see why. He walked forward, pressing the amulet into the bridge keystone. Moment's later, the bridge started to glow, a portal opening in it.

Jim took a deep breath, looking at Captain America.

Captain America looked back at him and nodded. "Everyone comes back," he said.

_Right. Everyone._

And with that, the five strode into the Darklands. A few seconds later, the bridge shivered, and then stopped glowing, the amulet of daylight falling into Blinky's hands.

"And now, we wait," Blinky said.

* * *

"I'm not picking up anything living," Iron Man said. "Cap, I think they may have figured out how to shield from the drones with some kind of area effect influence. I've got the map, but that's it. Just the throne room ahead, and I've got a lot of life signs there."

"So he wants us to know where he is. Well, let's to talk to the troll." Captain America sounded absolutely calm. Jim wished he could _feel_ calm.

Nobody else said anything. Jim felt the armor singing to him, almost as if it was coming close to fulfilling its entire purpose. _I hope you're not disappointed…_ he thought.

The throne room was dark, the gleaming eyes of the assembled troops staring down at the humans. There was a pillar in the center, beneath Gunmar's throne, and on it was…

"Oh, God…" Jim said in horror. It was Nomura. But her hands were crossed over her head and one of her swords had been driven through them into the rock, holding her, while her legs were pinned to the pillar by spikes.

For a moment, Jim thought she was dead. "Trollhunter…" Nomora rasped. "So good to see you, Little Gynt. I'd shake hands but…"

"What did you do that for!" Jim shouted to Gunmar. "She was _loyal_ to you!"

"She failed me, and without her familiar she is of no more use to me. But that was _your_ doing, was it not?"

"No," Captain America said. And somehow, even though Gunmar loomed over all of them, he was looking down his nose at the Underlord, like he'd seen a particularly nasty bug. "That's on you."

"Where's the kid, Rockpile?" Iron Man said, lifting one hand, the glowing light of the repulsors rising in intensity.

"He is _here,_" Gunmar said, lifting his hand and showing Enrique in it. "I grow hungry, so unless you wish to watch him die, Trollhunter, come and submit yourself to my Decimer Bl—"

Claire _moved_. Enrique vanished into a portal, even as Gunmar cursed and closed his hand. The child fell into Claire's arms, but Claire didn't wait, didn't say a thing as she leaped back through a portal behind her.

Iron Man didn't wait either, and the moment the Claire was out, a full power repulsor blast struck Gunmar and smashed him through his throne, a four-armed adviser dodging to the side. But seconds later, Gunmar had leaped back over the ruins of his throne, now clenching a great sword.

"You'll have to do better than that, fleshbag! Kill them! Kill them all, save for the Trollhunter! He is mine!"

And with a roar, dozens, hundreds of gumm-gumm warriors leaped down from the stands, poured from tunnel mouths, even as great beasts rose from pits in the throne room.

_Shit_, Jim thought. He hadn't assumed he had so _many._

"Bruce?" Captain America asked.

"Yeah. Time to play…" And suddenly, Bruce Banner, the diffident man that Jim had come to know _changed_. His clothes shredded as he grew to a size to rival any troll and the entire chamber rumbled when he slammed his hands down.

"PUNY TROLLS! HULK **SMASH!" **And with that, Hulk charged the oncoming army, Iron Man, Jim and Captain America by his side.

And Gunmar at their lead, the gumm-gumms roared defiance and met that charge.

* * *

Claire appeared next to Javier and Ophelia, a cooing Enrique in her arms.

"Oh—oh my—" Ophelia's eyes brimmed with tears as she took Enrique from her daughter. "He hasn't aged—not at all…" Her words broke off into a sob.

"I've gotta stay ready in case they need me…"

"The Trollhunter will not need you." Usurna walked into the chamber, nearly a dozen warriors by her. She put her hands on a heavy stone table, and then lifted it and threw it as hard as she could, the stone smashing through the complex equipment, sending the fetch flying off into the corner, hopelessly out of alignment.

_I can't reach to the throne room, not without—why is she— _Claire's mind whirled.

"Why did you do that?!" she screamed.

"Foolish girl. Kill them, kill the humans, and kill all the trolls for our Dark Underlord!"

"_Treason!" _ Blinky shouted, as screams and shouts started to rise from the market outside. Usurna turned and ran to the door, her bodyguards charging the humans and others. Fury pulled a gun, which evidently wasn't shooting normal bullets, and put a fist-sized hole through one troll, while Clint killed another troll with his arrow. Claire looked at her parents, raised her staff.

"Take care of Enrique," she said and moments later, Ophelia, Javier and Enrique were standing in their living room.

Claire turned around to see Thor start to go through their attackers like a buzzsaw. Arrrggghhh was getting ready to punch one when his hammer just reduced the enemy to dust.

"Sorry!" Thor called.

And then a pair of foghorn like bellows roared through the chamber and the screams outside got, if possible, even more hysterical.

Thor looked, shook his head. "That cannot be. They haven't been on this earth…" He ran for the entrance.

_That isn't comforting_, Claire thought as she followed him.

And it wasn't. Rising up through the deep crevices surrounding the heartstone were two… things. They made Claire's eyes hurt to look at, with too many arms and legs and mishappen heads with dozens of glaring eyes.

"What the hell are those!" Fury said.

"Jörmungandr's scions," Thor said. "But twisted. Even more insane than normal and that…" He turned to Fury. "They exist to slaughter and if I don't kill them, they'll turn Arcadia into a graveyard. Tobias."

"Yeah?" Toby said with a squeak.

"I had desired to fight with you, but I must destroy these two abominations. The rest of you must protect the trolls of Trollmarket and the humans of Arcadia, until I return—_For Asgard!_" With that roar, Thor threw his hammer striking one of the behemoths in the head, sending it squalling down into the chasm, as he grabbed his hammer and dove down after it, lightning and thunder, for perhaps the first time in Trollmarket, filling the air. With a shriek of rage, the second creature followed him.

"Your protector has abandoned you, fleshbags! What will you do now?" Usurna asked. "_Kill them!_"

"I am sick of her and her fleshbag comments," Fury said, reloading his gun. "Let's show her what _we_ can do!" Natasha pulled out her gun, Hawkeye drew back his bow.

"For Glory!" Blinky shouted grabbing a handful of dwarkstones from his bag, the explosive stones starting to gleam. Arrrggghhh roared beside him.

_For Jim and Enrique,_ Claire thought as she raised her staff, Toby next to her, his hammer ready. And then the battle began.


	25. War

The tide of gumm-gumm warriors struck the Hulk. Many of them were mind controlled and for the others?

It was a fleshbag. Green, big, but a fleshbag. Fleshbags were to be eaten, not feared.

And then they _hit_ the Hulk, in the same way a vase hits the floor. Gumm-gumms and parts of gumm-gumms flew all over the throne chamber.

Others were shattered by bolts from Iron Man's repulsors or killed by minimissiles from his shoulders.

And below them, Jim and Captain America also fought. Jim dodged a blow from a warrior, while Captain America brought his shield down on one warrior, spinning around and using its disintegrating body as a shield from another blow before he killed it. Jim did the same to the warrior facing him, before a gigantic creature slammed a taloned paw down, crushing a few warriors under its bulk.

"Dog!" Gunmar roared, charging Hulk.

"Not Dog!" Hulk roared back throwing a punch that Gunmar only barely avoided, while the lord of the Darklands threw a punch that could shatter stone.

Hulk laughed at the impact, and then Gunmar jumped back, saving himself only by the benefit of throwing a warrior into Hulk's way.

"Cap, this is getting crowded. Everyone shield your eyes. Sun in a can coming up."

Jim had assumed that Tony was talking about special lights. Moments later, he realized that Tony would _never_ stop at "just making lights."

The twin rockets contained a modified version of Tony's repulsor and fusor technology, crushing hydrogen down, fusing it…and the complex network of devices around it turned that fusion energy into light—the same type of light that Sol produced, filtered through earth's atmosphere.

For the first time, the Darklands saw the light of day.

It was not the true sun and so it did not have the mystical power of that light, but even so, the trolls shrieked in pain and terror as their skin started to smoke, crack and turn to stone, as their eyes were dazzled by the light. Jim ducked under one blow, killed the flailing warrior and then jumped to where Nomura was writhing in agony.

"This is going to hurt," he said, and with two slashes cut through the spikes holding her to the pillar. Nomura shrieked as Jim pulled her behind the pillar. "Stay here," he ordered.

"You are… Too forgiving, Little Gynt," she said.

"He tortured you," Jim said, as if that answered everything and then dove back into the fray, the eclipse blade slicing stone flesh like paper.

* * *

_They're killing the trolls!_ Claire stared as one of the shopkeepers, someone who sold gourmet socks, collapsed into lifeless stone. _They're not even trying to fight!_ The trolls were confused, terrified and many of them were just shopkeepers for all that they were big and tough…

A little whelp, wailing and tottering along on its legs as a changeling chased it brought her back, and suddenly she was angrier than she'd ever been.

The changeling was raising its sword when suddenly from a portal, Claire stepped out and impaled it with her staff, the attacker vanishing in a puff of oily smoke as it died. She whipped the staff back and the whelp vanished, only to appear in the bridge chamber, safe, at least for now.

"Get them into the bridge chamber!" she shouted. "We have to protect the trolls!"

"Claire, give me a boost!" the coms crackled with Hawkeye's voice. "I can give you top cover." Claire portaled next to Hawkeye and then up to the roof of the chamber where he took his place on a narrow ledge. "Good. Jarvis, can you mark Claire for me?"

"Done, sir."

"I'll try and clear zones for you, but get the civilians into the chamber as fast as you can—the bad guys won't take long to start targeting you."

"Right," Claire said.

Below, Toby and Arrrggghhh had charged into the fray, Toby's hammer turning the region around Arrrggghhh into a death trap for his enemies while Arrrggghhh gathered the smaller trolls and put them on his back, before turning and charging back for the chamber, a great ark with Toby a modern-day Noah. He spilled them out between Fury and Natasha, the two keeping up an accurate and deadly fire, as Barbara helped the smallest whelps into the chamber. Angor had started raising his golems, the ancient assassin sending them forth to battle the enemies before he threw himself into combat with a laugh of eager anticipation—and very few changelings or even Kruberra seemed willing to face him.

And below, the sounds of combat, of explosions, roars, bellows of pain, seemed to be getting louder and louder.

_Thor, what are you doing?_ Claire wondered as she portaled another group to safety. A Krubera warrior raised its hands to bring them down on her—and then it exploded from one of Hawkeye's arrows. Far above, Hawkeye gave Claire a thumbs up. Claire nodded and then portaled to another group of trolls, these ones crowding away from a pair of changelings with maces.

She could already feel her heart hammering. _Just gotta get 'em all out. I can rest after that…_

* * *

Jim tasted blood when Gunmar belted him across the chamber, into the stone corpse of one of his soldiers.

There were a lot of those now, and even the great monsters, the nyaga-somethings were going down in the face of Iron Man's weapons and Hulk's savagery, while others had been killed by him and Captain America.

And those two stars were still blazing in the sky. Even the trolls that weren't burning, like the stalkings, had a problem seeing.

But Gunmar was fast, and he'd jumped over to directly confront Jim.

"No matter how many of my soldiers you kill, it will not save you—" Jim rolled to the side, barely avoiding Gunmar's blow as Captain America's shield struck him in the temple. The troll roared in fury and threw chunks of dead troll at the Avenger, but somehow, he was never where the projectiles were.

_I'll never be that good, especially if I die today!_ Jim threw his glaives and attacked Gunmar, but the warlord dodged them, moving far too fast for his size. A group of warriors attacked Captain America (in preference to their brethren, who were busy committing suicide-by-Hulk), keeping him away, and Gunmar kicked Jim again, sending him flying across the chamber, hitting a corner where there were odd crystalline patterns.

Jim felt something give way in his chest and a burning sensation started to spread across his body.

"You think he will help you? You think your allies will _save _you?" Gunmar laughed. "They cannot even save themselves!" Gunmar raised his sword and brought it down—not on Jim, but on the crystals. They started glowing, blazing in power—

"Cap, it's a trap!" Jim screamed. _He thought he could beat us, but he prepared…_

And then the cavern started to explode, as the ground gave way under Jim. He fell, bouncing off what seemed like every bit of rock in the Darklands and then hit the ground, agony flaring. Jim tried to breath, but something was keeping him from getting enough air…

"You can kill _every_ one of my soldiers, but it will not matter." Gunmar smiled. "My Decimar blade will rip your mind from you, and once your friends have 'won' you will tell them that you killed me, return beyond the bridge and eventually _work my return._"

Oh. Shit.

"So will you surrender, and save yourself the pain, fleshbag or must I beat your defiance out of you?"

Jim got to his feet, and God, _everything hurt_. He looked up at Gunmar towering over him. _I hope the others are okay_. If Gunmar thought that the Avengers, who had been told about his blade, would just accept Jim's story… _It doesn't matter. He'll never get out. _

Well, it mattered to Jim. He wanted to see Claire again, joke with Toby, spend time with Arrrggghhh and Blinky… Just sit around playing video games with his friends or ride his bike.

But he guessed he wasn't getting that, and he sure as _hell_ wasn't going to make it easy on Gunmar.

Jim spat to the side, noticing that his saliva was bright red. "You know, you keep saying how you're going to get vengeance on me for your son, but you never actually try. Are you just afraid or didn't you care about Bular?"

Gunmar's roar of fury shook the chamber, and Jim realized that he'd pushed the one button that would make Gunmar _forget_ all of his plans.

Gunmar charged him and Eclipse and the Decimer blade met, sparks flying, Jim's armor blazing with his defiance. But then the moment passed and Gunmar struck Jim, his armor barely holding, then kicked him down. The sword flew from his hand.

"So you end, _groveling _in the dirt."

Jim rolled over, trying to get up, but Gunmar's blade was coming down and—

Struck a familiar shield. Captain America was standing over Jim, taking the blow on his shield.

"Stark and Hulk are finishing up top. They'll be down in a few seconds."

"Then I will finish you both off," Gunmar growled.

"You can try," Captain America said. Jim slowly got up, wincing, as Eclipse flew back into his hand. "You want to sit this one out, Jim?"

"No, Captain," Jim said. "I can handle it."

"Call me Steve."

And then Gunmar roared and there was no time for talk.

* * *

Trollmarket was in chaos. And not the good kind. There were trolls running in panic and Claire was portalling all over the place, focusing on the injured or whelps. "The bridge chamber!" she shouted. "Go there!" Another changeling charged at her, died from an arrow, while Toby brought his hammer up, turning a Kuberra to fragments.

Claire was getting more exhausted by the moment. She was sending person after person through, but there seemed to be no end.

She stumbled, and suddenly a changeling was driving for her and she wondered if Hawkeye would be—

The changeling screamed out, a blade punching through his torso, as Angor Rot kicked him to the side. "Apprentice, beware how much you use the staff."

"I'll stop when I'm done," Claire wheezed out, reaching out and taking Angor's hand. Behind him, his golems were forming a wall between more fleeing trolls and the attackers.

_But there so many…_ Claire took another breath. "I'm okay." _And when did I start saying that to Angor?_ Then she noticed that they weren't the only ones. Now Glug and some others were charging forward, the guards…

"They're fighting back!" Claire said.

"Their whelps are safe," Angor said.

"Not all of them," Claire said, and then portalled away. _Just a few more. Just a few more,_ she chanted, ignoring the spots forming at the periphery of her vision.

Toby and Arrrggghhh were backing away, a few remaining refugees huddling in their protective shelter. Several Kuberra charged them, when a lithe form literally exploded into their midst slicing them with a gleaming green knife.

_Black Widow? Angor gave her one of her blades?_ If so, it was a smart move. She was moving like the trolls were standing still.

Then Claire heard another cry.

_Another whelp_. She portalled through, looked at the mother and child, opened the portal to the bridge. "There you—"

A tremendous impact struck her, pain flaring through her entire body.

"Warning, massive torso trauma. Suit integrity at 40 percent," Jarvis said as Claire tumbled through the air, catching a glimpse of the stone, nearly the size of a small car, that had hit her. Then she hit the wall and there was nothing but _pain_.

"Your weakness and foolish pity made you predictable," Usurna said. "Now, move, with the fleshbag sorceress down, they can no longer flee!"

But now, Vendel roared out. "Trollmarket! Defend our trollhunters!" Suddenly there were trolls flooding _out _of the safe place.

_What, but you'll get killed… _Claire muzzily thought.

"Claire!" Now Toby hit the ground next to her and above him, Arrrggghhh roared in fury, no longer just _defending._ For the first time in hundreds of years, all, troll and human alike saw why he had been _Gunmar's_ greatest general. Toby smashed one, two, three changelings, and Arrrggghhh was just _slaughtering_ anything that got near him. Hawkeye and Black Widow were now in the midst of the fray, seeming to know what their enemies were going to do, before they did it.

And charging towards Claire were Nick Fury and…

Barbara?

"Claire, honey, pull the helmet back." Barbara said. Claire nodded. The helmet had a lot of red stuff on the outside, made it hard to see. Then she opened it, and coughed once, whimpering in pain, and saw…

Blood. Lots of blood, dripping down from her mouth onto the ground.

Huh. Hadn't been on the outside of her helmet at all.

"Claire, we need to get the armor off."

"That is not recommended Dr. Lake." Jarvis said. "The suit is preventing the further movement of Ms. Nunez's ribs. She has at least two punctures to her lungs and internal bleeding is quickly becoming serious."

"Gre—"

"Don't talk, Honey," Barbara said. "We _need_ to get her to a trauma care unit."

"That's not likely." Fury said, pegging another changeling, even as more reinforcements came forward.

"Kill them," she dimly heard Usurna's voice. "We still hold the advantage…"

And then Claire blinked.

Since when did it rain underground. Since when did you hear thunder?

And why was one of the Jörmungandr's heads flying up into the air to shatter as a blazing hammer passed through it.

And everyone was silent as Thor flew up, lighting flickering over his body, his expression terrifying, a cross between utter rage and joy at a battle to be had.

"FOR ASGARD AND TROLLMARKET!"

And then Thor Odinson went to war.

* * *

AN: We are now at... The _Immigrant Song_ threshold.


	26. To Save Two Worlds

Jim took another blow, but once again, before Gunmar could follow it up, Steve hammered him aside. But the great troll was fast, strong, and worst of all, didn't seem to be running out of steam.

"Is that all you have, boy?" Gunmar asked. "Hiding behind your betters? Wearing an armor you were never worthy of?" Jim spun around and this time managed to nick the warlord, even as Steve slammed his shield down, shattering one of Gunmar's horns.

"He's doing pretty good," Steve said, ducking beneath a blow.

"No," Gunmar said. "He _isn't!_" Gunmar feinted and then, before Jim could recover, he struck him with the real blow.

Jim once again hit the wall, only this time there was PAIN. His entire world was full of PAIN. He fell down, sliding down, trying to breathe, and then once again heard the clangor as shield met sword. But Steve was being forced back—having to shield Jim, he couldn't dodge Gunmar's blows, reduced to using his shield solely as a defense.

"What will you do now, Trollhunter? Who will save you when your last protector is killed?" Gunmar laughed.

_What can I do? _Jim couldn't keep fighting much longer. He felt it. He'd been hurt. Hurt _really_ badly. But he couldn't…

_Wait…_ yeah. He could do that. He could fight until he couldn't anymore.

That was all anyone could do, really.

Jim waited, and then Gunmar brought his sword down one more time on Steve, and in the short moment that Gunmar couldn't see him, Jim erupted from the ground, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything, pouring all of his remaining strength into killing Gunmar. He drive Eclipse… But Gunmar slipped to the side, the sword opening a gash in him.

"You _dare!"_ Gunmar roared in fury as he was seriously wounded for the first time in centuries and then drove back to the attack. But this time, Jim and Steve met him head on. Jim didn't try to avoid his blows—because Captain America would stop them.

_Gunmar has nobody like this_, Jim realized. Nobody he would trust to have his back.

And that made _him_ weak. And now they were driving the Underlord back across the chamber, Decimer and Eclipse flashing, until Gunmar roared and brought his sword down, as powerful as an avalanche, the weight actually forcing Captain America down to one knee.

But he didn't flag.

And neither did Jim. Jim screamed in fury and pain, and then brought his sword up from under Steve's shield…

And into the chest of Gunmar the Black.

Gunmar, even then, did not give up. He roared in fury. "Never! I will never lose to the likes of you!" He dropped the Decimer blade and then, ignoring Captain America, put one great hand around Jim and started to bear down. Steve was slamming Gunmar's head with the shield… And Jim didn't notice. He just focused on pushing the sword deeper into Gunmar. Ignoring the pain, ignoring the desperate need to _breathe, _Jim kept pushing.

_You'll never hurt my friends! You'll never hurt anyone again!_ And slowly, Gunmar's fury started to flag.

"No… I cannot… Lose… To the likes of you…" Skin turned to stone, and Gunmar fell back, shattering onto the ground.

"He's…" Jim couldn't say anything else. He felt strange, like he was floating, the pain no longer so bad. He couldn't feel his arms. Why couldn't he feel…

"Cap we just re-established coms, there's been an attack—_shit_."

"Tony get Jim up and out, tell them to open the bridge. We have a critically injured k—We have an injured Avenger coming through."

"Understood." For some reason something was spraying a cool mist over Jim. It really wasn't important.

He'd killed Gunmar. That's what Trollhunters were supposed to do.

He'd done it. And he guessed he was about to die.

_I really wanted to see Claire…_ And then he closed his eyes, barely aware of the armored figure rocketing him back to the bridge.

* * *

Usurna screeched in fury. "He's just one man! Just one Asgardian! Kill him, kill him, KILL HIM!" But the one Asgardian was Thor, and the changelings and soldiers just seemed to evaporate around him. His hammer smashed through armor and troll flesh like it was nothing and he had a fiendish skill that let him strike even trolls who were close to his friends. Soon, even her most loyal soldiers weren't fighting the Asgardian, they were fleeing him, dropping spears in their panic.

Then there was another roar and Usurna turned to the Gyre tunnel. She'd stationed troops there to prevent an escape and now they were coming to reinforce them—

But they were not, they were fleeing. Fleeing from humans and… _Draal?_

"When we lost communications sir, we couldn't get in the top, until well," the agent was out of breath. "Someone remembered that Draal was guarding the Lake's house. We ah, contacted him to see if we could find an alternate route."

"How?"

"We texted him."

Usurna growled in fury as the tide turned against her completely. The Odinson alone would have been bad enough, but now her dwindling forces were being smashed by a positive legion of furious trolls, human soldiers and those fleshbags that had _started_ this entire mess.

_Gunmar's plot has failed. We killed far too few and the survivors will spread this tale far and wide. I can…_ _I can survive… and maybe prosper. _

Usurna gestured. "Attack the trolls!" she screamed. The fleshbags had been so concerned about the survival of the trolls, let them be distracted once again.

And in that moment, when they were distracted, Usurna sent the last of her guard against Thor, so that they would keep him distracted and then leaped for Arrrggghhh and that annoying fleshbag. A single powerful blow knocked Arrrggghhh to the side, and suddenly Usurna produced a dagger with creeper's sun on it. Arrrggghhh hardly had a chance to react when the chubby fleshbag jumped in front of him, spinning his hammer as he tried to take off Usurna's head. He was bruised and beaten, one arm lying limp at his side. But even so, Usurna had to back off from his furious defense of Arrrggghhh and for a moment, as the others, fleshbags and trolls alike closed on her, the plan dangled by a thread.

But then she managed to get past his guard, grab him by the throat and hoist him up.

"Warning. Suit parameters exceeded."

"Remain still!" she shouted. "Or the whelp _dies."_

* * *

_Hostage situation. Shit._ Natasha had her gun out, so did Nick and Clint had a bead on Usurna.

But they didn't _know_ trolls. How quickly could they kill her? She'd been throwing around objects that had to weigh close to a ton. Natasha wasn't about to trust in Stark's tech to hold up to _that_ kind of punishment.

"Usurna! Cease this folly!" Vendel said, the elder being supported by another troll. He'd been in the forefront of the fight. "What does this gain you? Surrender and I shall promise you fair treatment."

"I am _Queen!_ It is my word—_my word_—that rules here! I will take the fleshbag to the Gyre and leave. When I have reached my destination, I will release him."

Natasha didn't dignify _that_ with a so much as a snort. If Usurna left Trollmarket, Toby was dead.

"And what about your followers?" Fury asked. "There aren't many left, but well, are they going with you?"

"It is their duty to die for me, and as for the impure… They are no longer of any use."

Fury cocked his head. "So just you. I want that clear, you're giving everyone else to us, even if they fought for you?"

"Enough!" Usurna looked at Thor. "Drop your hammer, Asgardian. I know how fast it moves and the fleshbag will be dead before you can swing it."

"Claire, how are you?" Toby asked.

"I've been better—" Claire coughed, felt blood trickling down her chin.

"Claire, you have to stay still!" Barbara hissed.

"Yeah. Remember the tennis ball game, back before this all got started?"

_What?_ Natasha had no idea what he was saying, but then Claire giggled, coughed, and nodded.

"Yeah."

"That was sure fun, but I guess we don't have any choice but to give in. But really, Thor, put your hammer down hard."

"Throw it down?" Thor asked.

"Throw or drop it, now!" Usurna said, and Toby gasped in pain. "Now, or the whelp _dies!"_

"Get me up," Claire whispered.

"Claire—"

"Now!" Claire hissed, and Natasha dropped to her side, helping Barbara lift her so she could see Thor and Toby both.

Thor raised his hammer and threw it down to the ground, hard.

Usurna was smiling—and then a black portal appeared on the ground, the hammer flying through it.

And out another portal, right between Toby's body and Usurna's chest, the enchanted hammer smashing through the side of her chest and removing the arm she had been using to hold Toby.

"Ho-how!" She gasped, staggering back, her skin turning into dead stone. "You flesh—" Her voice cut off as she fell back onto the ground, shattering, her head coming to rest, blank eyes staring at Claire.

"It's not _fleshbag," _Claire said, her voice loud in the silent chamber. "It's _Claire Maria Nunez!" _

Then, Claire started coughing more, blood splashing onto the stone floor, Fury barking into his communicator, demanding trauma teams to stand at the ready.

"Claire, you'll be okay," Barbara said, in the that professional voice that disguised the fact that Natasha bet she had no idea if Claire would be okay.

"Huh," Claire said weakly. "That's a lot of blood." Then she fell unconscious.


	27. Aftermath Part I

Jim drifted. He didn't know where he was, but he didn't hurt.

"Trollhunter…"

Jim turned to see… Kanjigar the Courageous. His predecessor. Someone you only saw on the Forge, unless you were…

"I'm dead?"

"Do you want to be?" Kanjigar asked.

"Um… No?"

"Than you are not." Kanjigar stared at him for a moment. "You have achieved the goal every Trollhunter since Deya has worked for. Gunmar is dead. Trollmarket is safe."

"I thought you'd be angry for us revealing you."

Kanjigar chuckled. "Oh, we have seen everything you saw, and the Avengers left you little choice. But trolls have not always been unknown to man, and if that is to change…" He smiled. "Why, Jim the Victorious, Claire the Wise and Toby the Brave are fully capable of managing the aftermath."

Jim's eyes opened wide. "But half the people will just see us as kids…"

"And were you not the one to point out that in a few years, a flash of an eye as we see it, that you will not _be_ kids? The Avengers do not see you as children, not fully. Even the Man of Iron, though he is hag-ridden by his own guilt." Kanjigar nodded. "And your very youth will aid you—you are not bound up in ancient feuds. You and your allies can look to the future and make it what _you_ desire." He paused. "James Lake Jr. Trollhunter." Kanjigar looked around, and suddenly Jim saw the other trollhunters, all of them, standing in the void. "Be it known that the amulet chose truly, and that you have fulfilled its destiny."

"Thanks."

"And when the time comes for you to _choose_ a successor, you may lay down your burden and live your life in peace."

"But the Amulet—it's for—"

"Not any more. That was a sorcery forged to oppose Gunmar, and now Gunmar is fallen. I expect you will bear it for many years, but you need not fear bearing it unto death anymore." Kanjigar chuckled, the sound a rumble. "Consider it… A gift for your service. When the time comes, you will know…" Kanjigar and the others were starting to fade.

"Thank you, James Lake. For you have fulfilled our oaths…" And then Jim was in an unfamiliar room, full of beeping machines.

* * *

When Jim pulled his eyes open, he felt… Really bad. He tried to talk, but there was a tube down his throat. He started to weakly thrash around, and then he noticed that his hands were secured to the side of the bed.

It was a very nice bed, more comfortable… Then Jim saw the StarkTech logo.

Oh, that explained it.

But where was he?

"Mr. Lake?" A nurse was peering down at him. "Are awake?"

"Ghnnnn…" He couldn't say anything, not with that damned tube.

"We need to check your vitals. You had a difficult recovery."

"Mmmm…" _Mom. _

"Dr. Lake is sleep—"

"I'm here." Mom came running in the door, and she looked _terrible_, her hair going every which way and her eyes were shadowed… Had she been sleeping? Eating?

"Jim," Mom said. "We're going to pull the tube. It's going to hurt.

Jim made a thumb's up. They were right, it did hurt. But then, so did his entire body.

"Mom…" he rasped.

"Wait, Jim," Mom said. "Moisten your lips," she held some ice chips in a cup to his mouth. "Let them melt."

Jim did. It felt a little big better. "Is Gunmar?" The last few minutes kept bouncing around in his brain.

"Dead." Jim had never heard his mother so satisfied. "He and his entire organization is dead and gone, Jim, they won't hurt anyone else again. Claire and Toby are… Okay."

"Good." Jim smiled. "Mom…"

"Yes?" Mom asked.

"You haven't been sleeping. Have you been eating?" Mom _always_ forgot to eat unless he pushed her. Jim shuddered at the memory of what she thought a good breakfast was when she was running late, which is why he made certain to get up first.

Mom looked at him, looked away, bit her knuckles. She turned back, pulling her glasses off and wiping her eyes with her fingers. "Yes, Jim…" she said. "I have been eating. I even tried to cook, and I didn't burn down the building. Just killed an indestructible microwave."

"How long…" Jim asked. "It feels like a couple of days…"

"Try over a week," A man said as he came sweeping in. "I'm not certain what you got into, but given where we are, I'll not ask questions. Dr. McAllister, at your service."

"You don't look like any of Mom's coworkers?" Jim asked, then coughed. "Ow."

"Yeah, breathing tubes are hell on the throat," he said. "If it hurts don't try to talk over it." The man nodded. "But no, I'm actually with the pediatric department at St. Thomas' in London. But when Tony Stark offers to cut a 10 million pound donation for my presence, I can take a flight. I haven't seen so much medical talent since my last symposium. Mr. Stark was even polite to Dr. Strange when he came in to examine you, and I can tell you, Stephen can be a bit hard to get along with, especially for someone as… used to getting his way as Tony Stark."

"Wish… Mom…" Jim tried not to cough, but all these guys rolling in like Mom wasn't good enough?

Mom brushed his hair back. "Jim, I wouldn't have been allowed to treat you, even in the hospital… I'm too close and things were…"

"Yes. Ah, Mr. Lake…" Dr. McAllister said his voice serious. "You clinically died twice on the table. Don't thank me. SHIELD has a very good trauma team. But make no mistake, you were seriously injured."

"Oh, no."

"Jim, what is it?"

"A week unconscious? That means the Spring Fling is only three weeks away!"

"I…" Dr. McAllister frowned. "You'll be moving around by then, but I don't know about dancing or celebrations. Well, they _should_ be celebrating your survival, but from the lack of news stories and the stack of NDA's I was handed…" he shook his head. "Well, not my business as we used to say in the regiment. So! Let's get started evaluating you!"

For the next thirty minutes, Jim was subjected to tests, especially surrounding his memory and cognitive facilities. Evidently when they'd MRI'd him, his brain had been bruised, though it hadn't swollen enough to be opened up.

Jim resolved to never again ask _exactly_ what a doctor meant unless he really was certain he'd be okay with the answer.

"You seem to be in good shape, Mr. Lake, and I hope we'll have you out and around before too long."

"Thanks, Doc," Jim said, and found himself yawning. "This is crazy, I just woke up…" He yawned again.

"Sleep, Jim," Mom said. "I'll be here for when you wake up again…"

"Yeah… Gotta say hi to Toby and Claire… Dance…" Jim drifted off.

* * *

"So, Dr. Lake," Dr. McAllister said, handing her the chart. "Do you agree with my prognosis."

"Yes," Barbara said, as she brushed his hair back from his face. He was breathing normally now. _My son is going to live._ When they'd brought him out of the Darklands, Barbara had wanted to run to him, but Claire was also injured and there were medics around Jim…

It was probably for the best that she had been occupied when the armor had come off and the work began.

"It is not up to me," McAllister said. "But I'd try to prevail on the powers that be at SHIELD to release whatever treatment they used on your son and his friends. "I've never seen such fast healing—when we were brought in, I was afraid I was going to be having a discussion about end-of-life management with you and the Nunez's. But…"

"I'll try. But I don't know much, only that it's very rare, and hard to produce in large quantities. Evidently, SHIELD used all the stocks they have for this case."

"And that…" He smiled. "Well, as I said, not my business, but if it ever does become common, I hope to see it in further cases."

"I'll try." _But the fruit of a tree tended by Frigga, and since _when_ do you say the name of a Asgardian Goddess in casual conversation, only blooms once every thousand years._

"It cannot cure the incurable," Thor had warned her. "But it will speed the healing of what _can_ be cured. And your children are valiant and saved many lives. They deserve to live their own. It may… _also_ protect them in the future by granting them greater strength and speed."

And it had done _exactly_ what Thor had promised.

Which also left her in the quandary of what type of thank you letter was appropriate for the _Queen of Asgard?!_

* * *

Claire was taking her walk.

Or rather, she was tottering along the hallway. The doctors had tried to get her to stay in bed, but when she'd woken she'd refused to go back to sleep until she could see Jim.

He'd been unconscious, hooked up to more things than she'd ever seen before, with Toby sitting by him. She spent as much time as she could by Jim, and then she and Toby were chivvied out of the room.

But Claire was not going to just lay around. She had her homework, even if she got tired too easily, and she took walks.

Like right now.

"Are you sure you aren't getting tired?" Toby asked. His right arm was in a cast, and he'd also had a ton of cuts and bruises, in addition to an ankle brace. He was pushing a wheel chair behind her, ready to rush forward if she fell.

Like the first time she'd told him she didn't need a spotter when she walked. So now, whenever she was up, Toby somehow found her and grabbed the chair, in case she needed to sit down. So Clair marched along, one hand gripping the stand for that IV that they had hooked up to her, and feeling all the aches and pains of an injury.

_Three busted ribs, one of which punched into on side and out the **other**__ side_ _of my lung, a fracture of my upper arm, bruising, internal bleeding… _Claire sighed. Before all of this, the worst injury had been banging her head when she lost control of her bike. She'd cried then.

Now, she probably wouldn't even notice it.

"Escaped your room again?"

Claire looked around and smiled. "Oh Hi, Bl—Natasha." And didn't that feel strange.

"Did you ask permission?" Natasha asked.

"I think the doctors gave up, so as long as she stays on this floor…"

"Yeah, I'd like to visit the trolls, but…" Claire gestured. "I think that they'd freak."

"Losing a VIP? Yeah, I think they would. Jim woke up for a little bit."

Claire had to sit down. "He… He woke up?" They'd said that he probably would, but the way he _lay_ there…

Once again, Clarie found herself blinking, her eyes starting to overflow. It wasn't as bad this time. Toby was also having the same problem.

"Jimbo's waking up?" Toby asked his voice as unsteady as Claire's.

"Yeah. But, he's likely to be in and out, so…" Natasha smiled. "I figure that you can just go rest in his room, so when he _does_ wake up next, you'll be right there. He asked for you, after all."

"That'd… That'd…" Claire swallowed. "That'd be nice." She didn't protest when Natasha took her wheelchair.

She really didn't think she could stand up right now, as the three headed to Jim's room.


	28. Hail the Victorious Heroes

Jim woke up again, feeling much better. His throat didn't hurt and… "Claire?" Jim said. Claire was sitting in a chair she'd moved up next to the bed, and was sprawled halfway out of it, her head against his shoulder. Toby was on the other side, hanging on to his arm.

They were asleep.

"They have been here for hours, Master Jim," Blinky said softly. "Arrrggghhh would be here, but the delicacy of the equipment and the small quarters…"

"I'll have to—"

"Jim?" Claire asked. Her face was bruised, she had an _IV_ (and how had that happened, they were supposed to be safe), her hair was going everywhere without her pins…

She was the most beautiful person Jim had ever seen.

"Claire… What happened?"

"Usurna betrayed us, she was working with Gunmar."

"_What?_"

"Yeah," Toby said, yawning. "The rest of the Janus order attacked Trollmarket."

"I'll kill her!"

"Um, too late," Claire said. "Toby, Me and Thor kinda already did that."

_Toby, Me and Thor?_ "I… I think I need some story."

"Well, Captain America told us about what happened in the Darklands so…" Claire launched into the story, and soon Jim's head was whirling.

"And you portaled your parents and Enrique to their house?"

"Yeah." Claire giggled. "Just in time for Mary to show up and ask them if they were ever going to unground me. Mom still talks about how weird it was—there were kids playing in the street, and just below…"

"Yeah." Jim gripped Claire's hand. _She could have died. You were—no. That's not fair. _Claire was just as much a fighter as Jim was and he wasn't going to try to turn her into a child. Like it or not, none of them were.

"So once we got up here, you got whisked off, and you wouldn't believe all the people showing up," Toby said. "Vendel has a chair in Fury's office—Vendel! I didn't think he'd ever leave Trollmarket!"

"Vendel is having to face changes, as are we all, Master Jim," Blinky said. "You did it. You have ended the threat of Gunmar, but that threat defined us for hundreds of years. I doubt any know where the road leads now, save that our Trollhunters will help guide the way."

"They won't suddenly remember I'm a kid?" Jim asked.

"No." Blinky paused. "For good or ill, no. The world is changing, and we must change with it… Though to be fair, many of your duties will likely be less…"

"Life-threatening?" Jim grinned. "I can deal with that."

And then, like a dam breaking the three teens were talking, laughing, randomly bouncing between the desperate battle and mundane school affairs.

Blinky merely leaned back and smiled at the three, letting them, for the first time in far too long, laugh and talk with no undertone of worry surrounding them.

* * *

Later that night, Jim found himself struggling with the wheelchair. The doctors had given him his first PT, but they'd been treating him like he was made out of glass. Sure he hurt, but he could keep going and he needed to.

"What's the problem, Jim?"

Jim looked up and saw Captain America leaning on the door frame.

"Oh, Cap—"

"Steve," he corrected.

"Right," Jim said, fighting the _are you crazy, I can't call you that_, thoughts he was having. "Steve. I was thinking of trying to get some exercise in because well…"

"Well?"

"It's that the Spring Fling is coming up, and Claire promised to dance with me, but…" He took a deep breath. "I really don't want to miss our dance."

Steve say anything for a few minutes, seemingly lost in thought. Then he chuckled. "Well, then let's see what we can do, because you're right. You really _shouldn't_ miss your dance."

* * *

A few days later, Jim was standing in front of Nick Fury. Sure, he needed a cane, for now at least, but without Steve and Natasha and Clint, he probably would still be in his wheelchair. Claire and Toby were even better off.

"So, now we talk about what we need to do," Fury said. "You all saved the day—but there's always a tomorrow." Fury looked out the window at the grounds of the California SHIELD base. "And I need a conduit for information with the trolls. They'll stay secret, for now, but that probably won't last forever. Especially since according to both Angor and Vendel, Morgana may still be active. And I need ambassadors to coordinate with the trolls."

"I—" Jim gulped. "Director Fury, I can help, but I'm the _Trollhunter_. That means I have to work for their interests as well, not just be a…"

"Mouthpiece?" Fury chuckled. "I know that—You're a lot like Steve Rodgers in that regard. But no, I need you to help us _talk, _so that we can avoid any future fights."

Part of Jim had gone into reset mode at the "you're a lot like _Captain America_." He shook his head. "Um, yeah, I can help."

"And I'm willing to sweeten the pot."

"A quinjet?" Toby asked.

"Heh, you're already getting Stark's apology-suits for not making you invulnerable." Fury shook his head. "Be satisfied. No, I actually found a former SHIELD agent in your community. He was a translator who worked with us during some issues in Austria. He can work as a go-between and provide support if you need it."

_A SHIELD agent here…_ Then the door opened and Jim blinked.

"Senor Uhl?" Claire said, her eyes wide.

"I am happy to note that your numerous absences were in fact for a good reason," Uhl said. "I have excused them."

Then he did something that had Jim wondering if he was still in a coma. Uhl cracked a faint smile. "And I am proud that students under my care have done so very much to save so many, no matter their outward form. You are a credit to the school, Arcadia, and your families."

"You'll also have direct ways to communicate with SHIELD in the case of an emergency." Fury nodded at the items on his desk. "SHIELD issue phones, IDs… Everything you need."

"I don't think there will be… the trolls…" Jim shook his head. After the joy at being safe again, they'd had to count the butcher's bill of the Battle of Trollmarket. For a slow reproducing and long-lived race like the trolls, it had been a near disaster. Claire had been the one who had prevented the loss of nearly an entire generation of troll whelps. "They're going to be a while getting back on their feet."

"And Angor is handling things for now," Toby said. He'd tried to get him named "Deputy Angor" but one glance from the troll had caused Toby to reconsider.

"We also have a cover story in place for your injuries—a smuggling ring involving Chitauri weapons that you discovered and were attacked by before they were taken into custody." Fury said. "But for now… I _believe_ you have a dance to prepare for."

_Yeah. Yeah we do,_ Jim thought.

* * *

The auditorium was a wonderland of color. Claire looked around, at the students dancing, the balloons… And if it was only cheap party stuff, an ordinary school in an ordinary town, right now it was more glorious than flying ships or troll homelands or Asgardian Gods. She was wearing her best dress, because they didn't have to worry about suddenly being attacked out of the blue. They could just… Be themselves.

Because she was here, with Jim and Toby, alive. With Jim and Enrique, back home in his crib, safe, even if Claire sometimes got up in the middle of the night to just watch him, and sometimes, when she wasn't at home so she could check on him, she would have panic attacks. Sometimes nightmares of spindly goblins sneaking back into the house, into Enrique's crib would bring her out of a deep sleep, send her stumbling, heart pounding, to Enrique's room.

The SHIELD psychologist they were all seeing had told her that was normal, that they would work through it, together.

"I can't believe she found us," Mary whined to her newest beau. "It's like Nurse has eyes in the back of her head!" Behind her, Natasha caught Claire's glance but showed no sign she was anything other than a student.

As Claire expected. Right now, she was on the job.

"So." Jim's voice. Claire turned around and there he was, in his best clothes, his cane leaning against a chair. "Can I have this dance?"

"I would _love_ it," Claire said softly. They put their arms around each other and started dancing as Eres tú was played over the auditorium. Claire leaned her head into Jim's shoulder as they danced. She didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but for tonight?

This was all she wanted.

End

Note: There will be an Epilogue, and one more story in this setting.


	29. Epilogue, 2042

"Stop looking up my skirt!" the cheerleader shrieked as she floated over several other students.

Who were also floating. The entire 9-10th grade class, along with their teachers and one old security guard, who looked like he was dozing, were floating in the air, forming a very odd solar system centered on the glowing troll effigy.

Claire let her quilted handbag drop to the floor next to her and gave a long-suffering look at Wong.

"How did _this_ happen?" she asked.

"Apparently a dare to touch the forbidden object," the sorcerer told her. "The results were…"

"Yeah, well trolls are super strong, so the best way to trap them is keep them floating in the air so they can't touch anything." Claire groaned. "Gatto is going to say I told you so over this. Jim said he didn't need _any_ protections, but Gatto only let us negotiate him down to non-lethals."

"Is—is this going to have repercussions regarding the exhibit? This is one of the first troll exhibits in the nation and…" The museum curator was wringing his hands. "Is he going to pull them…"

"Send the security footage of the amazing flying class, and include audio if you have it. Gatto will be too busy laughing and telling Jim he told him so to get angry. If you want to sweeten the pot, get some old socks and dust them with iron filings. He likes the taste."

"How are we going to dismantle it?" Wong asked.

Claire frowned. "Can't do it destructively—Gatto's humor won't survive having his property damaged." She opened her bag, and started pulling out gems and items—far more than the bag should have been able to hold. "So, I can start unraveling the enchantment, but… Wow, Gatto didn't skimp. It's got a primary, secondary _and_ tertiary structure, all of them feeding into the primary sorcery." She frowned. "This is going to take a while."

"Ah. Nice bag. I don't recall…"

"I've been learning how to knit and quilt," Claire said. "It's relaxing and makes it easier to enchant my own equipment." She clapped her hands. "Right! Okay, everyone! We're going to put you in a little stasis, so you don't get sick while I unravel this."

"But why? This is fun!" One student asked.

"I can handle it!" another said.

"This is going to take about four hours," Claire said. "According to the teachers who aren't floating, you ate just before your accident. Think your bladders can survive this?"

Silence.

"Right." She looked over at Wong. "Would you do the honors?"

"Yes." Moments later, the floating people had gone quiet. "I will observe your work from out here, where it is comfortable."

Claire glared at Wong. "I'm sending you my chiropractor bill." She couldn't move around once she got to the curse nexus, and that meant she'd be in the same position for about four or more hours. _Well, if magic was easy…_

Almost six hours later, a ring of fire opened up in Arcadia, Wong and Claire walking out of it in front of a sprawling house. It had been midnight by the time she was finished in New York—here it was dark, families eating dinner, children being sent to bed.

"Thanks," Claire said, and yawned. "You want to come in for—"

"I have duties at the sanctum," Wong said. "And you need to rest. Will you be…"

"I'll be fine. It's just been a while since I had to kneel down like that." Claire sighed. "So, next week are we still on for the class?"

"Both apprentices and masters eagerly await your lecture on troll magic," Wong said with a smile.

"Well, hopefully it won't be as exciting as today." Claire tried to fight another yawn. "But I'm probably going to turn in early."

"And I as well." Wong smiled. "Again, thank you."

With that, he was gone back to New York. Claire found her key and quietly opened the door. The oldest kids were in collage, Michelle was at a sleepover, and Tanya and Nate should be in bed, so she didn't want to wake them up…

And her every bone _ached_. "Didn't used to have this problem," she murmured.

"What problem?" Jim asked. He was wearing a sweater, coming out from the kitchen with a smile.

"Achy muscles problem," Claire said. "You owe Gatto an apology, because yes, some idiot did try to mess with his stuff."

"No damage?"

"Save to some student's dignity? No. Check out Youtube if you want to see the horrible trauma of students learning that trolls can treat gravity as a suggestion."

"Good. But I have something before that." Jim ducked down and pulled out a covered tray. "Saved you some dinner."

"Oh _God," _Claire said, feeling herself start to salivate at the smells. "I'm marrying you again, Jim Lake-Nunez."

He opened the platter, put it down on the tray next to the couch and sat down next to Claire. There was a little bit of food she didn't recognize off to the side of main meal.

One of Jim's experiments. Claire tried that first, and blinked.

"Teriyaki and…" She blinked. "It's Wakandan spices, right?"

"Yah. Remember when we were there for that symposium?"

"The one where you ended up in the kitchens and Toby had to go down and find you?" Claire smirked. "I'm not certain what the staff thought about the Trollhunter and Undersecretary of State For Troll relations ending up chatting about recipes."

"Well, the staff and I have been exchanging recipes and thus—this."

"It's a winner," Claire said and then, when she was finished, she felt Jim's hands starting to massage her shoulders, working the kinks out. "Oh… I'm marrying you _three_ times."

"What do I have to do for four?"

"That's for after we go upstairs," she said, looking up to her husband with a leer.

"I'll hold you to it," Jim said, and kept massaging her shoulders.

A little later, Claire found herself curling into her husband as they sat on the couch.

"Return day is coming," she said. "Michelle says she wants to spend it with her friends."

"We'll stick close, just in case," Jim said. "We can go out to the park with Nate and Tanya, do the celebrations there, then hit Trollmarket before we bring 'em back home."

"That's good." Claire said. "Wanna check out that new Netflix thing? The kids are asleep so we don't have to worry about…"

"Having to explain why we can watch the sexy, violent, show, but they can't?" Jim smiled. "I like that idea."

Claire watched as the mindless adventure show popped up, advertised as being Real! Adventure!

There was a reason both she and Jim treated it as a comedy.

"I've got a raccoon on speed dial, and we take trips to New Asgard," she murmured sleepily. "And here we are watching a TV show on a couch, with our kids in college or asleep upstairs."

"I know," Jim said, leaning over and kissing her. "It's wonderful isn't it."

"Yep." Claire said. "It really is…" And then they both fell into companionable silence as the opening credits started to play.

* * *

AN: Note that while there are other stories in this setting—this is the last story in chronological terms. This is their reward. And yet-Nate and Tanya were named for Natasha and Tony.


End file.
